Truck progress

[jester_motorsports]

Well, the truck has come a long ways from when I first got it. There aren't too many places to take it on an expedition here in Missouri, so I'm gonna have to wander out west I'd say. Anyway, take a look and comment if you'd like. I can list any details you'd like if you're interested.

http://photos.yahoo.com/jester_motorsports

Josh

[OldSven]

I would!!! Were did you get the rear bumper? Nice truck by the way.

[flyingwil]

Josh looks great! :clapsmile I like your suspension, and the black on black.

Does the CBI rear Tire rack block your rearward view?

Would it seem to make more sense to have it bowed down like:\______/ ?

And welcome to portal BTW!

[kcowyo]

VERY nice!!

I really like CBI's stuff. I wish I'd had time to stop by their shop last weekend when I was passing through Rigby, Idaho.

Are those the Firestone Destination MT's?

Nice outfit and nice design on your front bumper!

[datrupr]

Very nice truck and welcome to the ExPo. Anytime you want to venture out west for some exploring, let us know, I am sure a few of us AZ will show you around.

[Nullifier]

Good looking rig. Now you are ready for the camping mods

[Willman]

Nice looking rig!!! I like the black on black look!!!

How much did the rear springs cost ya to you door??????

[jester_motorsports]

I would!!! Were did you get the rear bumper? Nice truck by the way.

I got the bumper from Steve at CBI Offroad Fab. The rest of the armor came from Steve as well. Just let me know what kind of details you'd like to know. I'd be more than happy to provide any information desired. Thanks for the compliment.

Josh

[jester_motorsports]

Josh looks great! :clapsmile I like your suspension, and the black on black.

Does the CBI rear Tire rack block your rearward view?

Would it seem to make more sense to have it bowed down like:\______/ ?

And welcome to portal BTW!

Thanks Wil.

Yeah, the tire carrier definitely blocks the rear view. It's somewhat nice in a couple of ways. #1, it keeps bright headlights out of my rearview mirror. #2, it allows coolers and other items to still go underneath. I may do it differently if I had it to do again, but then again, I may not. Storage space in the bed is valuable. What you suggested would definitely give a much better rear view.

Josh

[jester_motorsports]

VERY nice!!

I really like CBI's stuff. I wish I'd had time to stop by their shop last weekend when I was passing through Rigby, Idaho.

Are those the Firestone Destination MT's?

Nice outfit and nice design on your front bumper!

Yeah, I'd like to make a trip out to Steve's place to say hi and thank him for the products.

Yes, those are the Firestone Destination M/T's. I absolutely love them so far. They get awesome ratings wherever you see them (Tire Rack for instance) and they definitely earn the ratings. They wear awesome too from everything that I've read. 60k+ on a mud terrain tire is almost unheard of....except for these tires and their cousins, the Bridgestone Dueler M/T's.

Thanks for the compliments. Steve does awesome work. We had numerous conversations over the phone and email on designing the front and rear bumpers. The tire carrier and sliders were his designs. We worked together on the front and rear. One neat little thing that I built into the design was a little hoop welded onto the rear of the stinger on the front bumper. Unfortunately, I don't think you can see it in any of my pictures. I did that to have a tie down point on the front/center of the truck for anything that may be mounted to the roof, such as a canoe.

Josh

[jester_motorsports]

Good looking rig. Now you are ready for the camping mods

Thanks. Yeah, I'm still kicking around ideas for that. Bed and interior space is so limited. I'm trying to figure out how to utilize it the best way. I've got a few ideas to work through.

Josh

[jester_motorsports]

Very nice truck and welcome to the ExPo. Anytime you want to venture out west for some exploring, let us know, I am sure a few of us AZ will show you around.


Thanks! Yeah, I'm trying to budget for a trip out west. I'd like to go back to the Durango area again. I've only been there once but I absolutely love the area. I want to go back and do a little wheeling around the area.

Josh

[jester_motorsports]

Nice looking rig!!! I like the black on black look!!!

How much did the rear springs cost ya to you door??????

You know, to be honest, I don't know what they cost to the door. I got them in a package deal from Demello. The springs themselves were like $650 though. They threw in u-bolts and bushings. I honestly don't know what it would have cost to ship them. I got a discount on shipping due to the package purchase. I bought my entire suspension from them all at once.

I was a little wishy-washy on the black on black before I joined TTORA. After I saw a few trucks "blacked out", I really liked it. Not to mention that the black steelies are a helluva lot less expensive to replace than the other aluminum wheels that I initially wanted.

Josh

[Wanderlusty]

There aren't too many places to take it on an expedition here in Missouri, so I'm gonna have to wander out west I'd say.

Josh

True, the guys out west have it great, but you can have more fun than you think:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/

There are going to be forest service roads all thru those national forests, and a few really challenging 4wd only trails. Get a map and hit the road. I have been out west and can't wait to get back, but until then, I keep making daytrips thru the national forests. You can get lost in there.

Come down to Arkansas and try the Ozarks and the Ouachitas too. I can personally attest to how fun those trails are. And you can even do multiple days on dirt and not ever take the same road. Good stuff.

[jester_motorsports]

True, the guys out west have it great, but you can have more fun than you think:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/

There are going to be forest service roads all thru those national forests, and a few really challenging 4wd only trails. Get a map and hit the road. I have been out west and can't wait to get back, but until then, I keep making daytrips thru the national forests. You can get lost in there.

Come down to Arkansas and try the Ozarks and the Ouachitas too. I can personally attest to how fun those trails are. And you can even do multiple days on dirt and not ever take the same road. Good stuff.

Yeah, I guess I'm going to have to check out Mark Twain National Forest. Arkansas isn't far away either. I'm usually not too far away when I'm floating anyway. Maybe I'll have to come down and float the White River sometime this summer. :)

Thanks for the link.

Josh

[Wanderlusty]

By the way, your truck looks awesome.

How do you like the Firestones? That is one of the tires I have been looking at really closely as a replacement when my AT's wear out.

[jester_motorsports]

By the way, your truck looks awesome.

How do you like the Firestones? That is one of the tires I have been looking at really closely as a replacement when my AT's wear out.


Thanks for the compliment. The Firestones are awesome. I wouldn't go with anything different if I was doing it again. The only drawback that some people have pointed out is that they're not available in sizes over 33". In most "normal" cases, that's not an issue. For the guys that have put a solid axle under their rigs and want tires 35"+, it's a problem. Other than that, I have yet to find anything whatsoever negative about them.

On that Mark Twain National Forest link you sent, do they specifically address offroad vehicle use within the park anywhere on the site? I just emailed them about it to see what information they could provide.

Josh

[datrupr]

I am running the Firestone Destination MT's also, and I really like them. I do have to get new tires again soon and I am considering a change, but I may stay the same.

[jester_motorsports]

I am running the Firestone Destination MT's also, and I really like them. I do have to get new tires again soon and I am considering a change, but I may stay the same.

I just don't think you can beat them. I wish they made them in a 255/85/16 size. I wouldn't mind being just a tidbit more narrow.

[Wanderlusty]

I couldn't find anything specific, but basically, from what I can see, it is similar to here in Arkansas. Just stay on numbered roads. And YES plenty of those numbered roads are still great challenges for off-road.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/maps/

These maps will help. I have maps of the two big national forests here in Arkansas. The ones for Missouri are $6 a piece. There is a form for ordering on that link. There are 4 maps for Missouri. Get the ones close, or get them all.

Hopefully, the e-mail you sent them will be replied with specifics.

In general, we have to be careful. Here is a good read if you have the time:

http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/index.shtml

But seriously, as long as you stay on numbered and established roads and adhere to Tread Lightly principles, you should be ok!

[OldSven]

So how much did the rear bumper cost you? I really like the design of it.

[jester_motorsports]

So how much did the rear bumper cost you? I really like the design of it.

Honestly, I can't remember what exactly he charged me for it. It was another package deal like my suspension. I'd check out his site and look to see what he's got listed. I'm thinking it was around $400, + or - $50 or so. I'm not positive so don't quote me on it. Plus, I bought $1800 worth of stuff from him too so keep that in mind. You really can't beat his prices though considering that everything will be custom built for you to your specs, if you choose. Not to mention that everything is TOP quality.

www.cbioffroadfab.com

Josh

[Willman]

You know, to be honest, I don't know what they cost to the door. I got them in a package deal from Demello. The springs themselves were like $650 though. They threw in u-bolts and bushings. I honestly don't know what it would have cost to ship them. I got a discount on shipping due to the package purchase. I bought my entire suspension from them all at once.

I was a little wishy-washy on the black on black before I joined TTORA. After I saw a few trucks "blacked out", I really liked it. Not to mention that the black steelies are a helluva lot less expensive to replace than the other aluminum wheels that I initially wanted.

Josh

Thanks for the info!!!! Your truck looks great! I think i'm going to lose my 2" shackles and go with the the full rear leafs from Deaver....Time to break the bank!!!!

Good luck and welcome aboard!!!!
:arabia:

[jester_motorsports]

Thanks for the info!!!! Your truck looks great! I think i'm going to lose my 2" shackles and go with the the full rear leafs from Deaver....Time to break the bank!!!!

Good luck and welcome aboard!!!!
:arabia:

Thanks man!

[flyingwil]

Thanks Wil.

Yeah, the tire carrier definitely blocks the rear view. It's somewhat nice in a couple of ways. #1, it keeps bright headlights out of my rearview mirror. #2, it allows coolers and other items to still go underneath. I may do it differently if I had it to do again, but then again, I may not. Storage space in the bed is valuable. What you suggested would definitely give a much better rear view.

Josh


Josh-

I think it is time to move up to a Engel! No more ice!

For new shoes I would suggest BFG MT 255/85's... it seems to be the most common Taco tires on this board... I love mine, and I put on a lot of highway miles.

[jester_motorsports]

Josh-

I think it is time to move up to a Engel! No more ice!

For new shoes I would suggest BFG MT 255/85's... it seems to be the most common Taco tires on this board... I love mine, and I put on a lot of highway miles.

Yeah, I definitely plan on adding an Engel fridge when the money becomes available. I need to do a fuse block first though. I saw people talking about a marine-type fuse block that they got for a reasonable price from West Marine. Any idea what that thing costs?

On the tires, I kinda like the 255/85 size but I hate the lack of choices in tire brands that you have with that size. I don't necessarily NOT like the BFG's, but I really really LIKE my Firestone Destination M/T's. It would be perfect if I could get the Destinations in the 255/85 size. :D

[flyingwil]

It is a Blue Sea block (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=91545) from West Marine the 6 fuse is $35.99 and the 12 fuse $39.49. They are really nice units.
http://www.westmarine.com/images/full/fuseblock_f.jpg

My installation of the Fuse block is written up in my mod thread (link in my signature). My current set up is only temporary, but it is beginning to serve it's purpose. It will later be moved to the rear tool box, along with a second battery. It will support the full time power requirement units, such as the radios, Engel, lights, ect...

For the time being I mounted it to the rear wall using an old 4 ga. amplifier kit I had laying around. The pro to this is that it has an in line fuse on the positive cable, that will help prevent an fires, or melt downs.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/flyingwil/IMG_0651.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/flyingwil/IMG_0650.jpg

In the last picture you can see my *temporary* Engel hook-up. I twisted the wires to prevent electrical interference with the CB.

[jester_motorsports]

Very nice. Damn, for $40, you can't beat that! I'll definitely be adding one of those.