A Caged Runner

Some of you faithful readers may remember this post from awhile back: 4Run Through the Jungle

So, with your memory whetted I can now show you the latest update.  It all started when I was trying to figure out what to do with one of my many MBX Sahara Survivor castings.  After I had pulled off the roll cage I started thinking, 'It would be great if I could stick this roll cage in another truck'.  Well with a bit of cutting, thank you Mr. Dremel, I streamlined the roll cage and started to test fit it in my 1985 Toyota 4Runner.  One thing that I knew from the beginning was that the fiberglass roof would have to go.  It took quite a bit of massaging, as these things often do, but I think it was well worth it.  I am on the lookout for some cool gear to put in the back, as it looks pretty bare right now, and what hardcore wheeler goes into the woods without a spare tire!  I am going to need one of those too.  It is always nice to breath some life into a long term project and this little Toyota is really coming along nicely.

TJ Skyway - Lifting a Matchbox 1998 Jeep Wrangler

The Matchbox 5-pack always offers some unique opportunities for collectors.  One of my favorite 5-packs as of late is the Desert Adventure No. 9.  It is in this particular pack that you will find the 1998 Jeep Wrangler, otherwise known as a TJ.  Some have distinguished this particular model as the Jeep Wrangler Camper due to it's updated roll cage featuring a cargo rack with an allotment of camping gear.  Now right off the bat you notice the race inspired tampos that feature Superlift Suspension Systems as a would-be sponsor.  This leads into my first problem, this TJ does not seem to be lifted in any way that might glorify an aftermarket suspension.  So I took it upon myself to fix that little problem.

With a cannibalistic donation from a MBX 4x4 (one of my favorites) I began sizing up what it was going to take to fit my Wranglers new shoes.  After what was about the smallest amount of modification I have done yet, I had the interior and frame of the MBX 4x4 fitted perfectly in the body of the Jeep.

 

As you can see the TJ looks awesome with the meaty off-road tires and bead-lock wheels, but after I took the first round of photos I thought something was still missing, a full size spare!

After some drilling and cutting (and kindly asking a dune buggy to surrender its wheels) I was able to mount a full size spare tire on the back of my Wrangler.  I could not be more pleased with how this truck turned out.  Not only can this Jeep Wrangler handle some serious trails as well as some rock crawling, but she's guaranteed to get you to even the remotest of camp sites. Till next time, happy fishing!

All Jacked Up - Custom Diecast Lift Kits

The other day I was looking through some trucks in my diecast collection and I was gripped with the burning desire to help my old FJ40 reach new heights, by any means necessary.

Putting a "lift-kit" on a diecast truck has been an idea that I have had on the back-burner for some time now, I was always a little worried that the whole process would just be too expensive, too laborious or just too over my head to really be worthwhile, but a unique solution soon presented itself.

I have always admired the suspension system of Matchbox's Off-Road Rider. Not only does the suspension look good, but with a little care, you can actually get it to give you a little bit of travel. So to start, I grabbed my Dremel and went to work on the Off-Road Rider to see what she was made of. Once I cut free the engine/seat/hood combo and made some other small cuts on the frame I began test fitting all of the pieces.

Now it was time to get to work on my Land Cruiser. I began by drilling and taping a hole for a set screw in the center of the post. Next it was Dremel time, and in no time I had the Toyota in pieces in my hand. After sizing things up I saw only one real option, so I got right to work. What followed was a slow process of making small cuts and a lot of test fitting, resulting in a 1968 Toyota FJ40 that is ready to do some serious rock crawling!

The Land Cruiser is an excellent choice for an overland adventure, right at home riding next to a Jeep or a Land Rover. Like most any truck, the FJ, in stock form, is more of a moderate trail rig than an extreme rock crawler. What the Toyota needed was a lift kit by way of a new four-link suspension, and a new pair of shoes in the form of some 42" tall tires on 17" bead-locks. Also a part of the deal is the new steel tube bumper giving me a place to fix a tow line as well as a place to mount a winch.

I must admit I was feeling pretty smug after I lay down my hex driver and examined my handy work. Excepting a few minor details that need some future attention, the conversion looked excellent! The next piece of this project will have to be a winch, but that will have to wait until I find the suitable parts. Needless to say, I was feeling pretty excited at this point and I decided to immediately search out my next vict... urm... project truck. What I found was the Hot Wheels Path Beater.

The Path Beater is a solid quarter ton pickup that looks like it would be right at home on a beach with a few cold drinks and maybe a couple surf boards in the back. I wanted to test how versatile the Off-Road Rider's chassis was with very little overall modification. With more of a lifted street truck look now, the Path Beater is high rolling on some massive new cleats and a major lift kit!

Looking at the undercarriage of both vehicles does little to translate the effort put in to each truck, the Path Beater ended up being much more involved as a significant amount of the original chassis needed to be cut away and a channel needed to be cut in the original bumper to accommodate the "aftermarket" stinger. By comparison, the Land Cruiser was a more straight forward chassis replacement and other than the set screw in the post, there is no permanent modifications to the original truck. In theory I could unscrew the whole thing and have it rolling on a stock chassis in a matter of seconds and the average passer by would never know the difference.

I am really looking forward to modifying more trucks for some serious off-road action. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and please check back soon to see what other projects I have cooked up.

Consider the Rocks Shocked!

In 2009 Matchbox introduced a rock crawlers dream to their line-up. The Rock Shocker now has a fresh coat of paint and is ready to hit the trail hard again in 2010.

This truck has been striped to it's bones to make it the ultimate rock crawler, the bed, and all glass have been removed, even the front fenders and grill. Instead of a bed, the Rock Shocker features a cage designed not only to mount the shocks, but also to accommodate a fuel cell and a transmission cooling system sporting two electronic fans for some non-stop pedal pounding.

Custom bumpers protect the front and rear, with a roll bar protecting the squish bits inside. Everything  rides on a long arm suspension allowing excellent suspension travel with a stable low stance.

The action doesn't stop when the sun goes down, as this rig is sporting 5 HID lights above the cab as well as two more replacing the stock headlights. The Rock Shocker certainly is all thrills and no frills. In fact we are still speculating exactly what kind of truck she was before all the modifications... On a closing note, this rig does not really seem designed to stray to far from the trailer, as it is not toting a spare tire, so perhaps more of a competition rig than a trail rig. Maybe a little customization is in order.