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[Booligan]

Anyone else here into various wheeled hobbies? I used to race my old turbo Miata, mainly road course, autocross, and drift events. Built it up from stock, roll bar, Corbeau race buckets, harnesses, Greddy based turbo system, etc.



Moved onto bikes after the Miata got stolen. First had a Suzuki GS500, then moved onto a Honda CBR 600 F4i. Rode that for a year until it too got stolen. I have bad luck with vehicles.

After a few years not caring about vehicles, I decided I wanted to undertake an inexpensive motorcycle project. Picked up a 1979 Honda CB750 Limited, and turned it into a Cafe Racer/Streetfighter. I have a whole host of build photos on the website I put up for it, retrostreetfighter.tumblr.com

Before:



After:



Anyone else do any vehicle based hobbies? Cars, trucks, bikes, etc? Post them up!

[kdb135]

Big into mountain biking, but more for the physical aspect.
Used to be a very avid in dirt biking and quading as well, but have gotten very busy with work lately, so I haven't had much time to get out on the trails.

[mgunner564]

I raced a Kawisaki KX85 for a couple years (and a Suzuki RM 65 before that), got it all built up with race parts and made it look pretty, but I've outgrown it, looking for a 125 ATM. I did it fairly competitively at a local track, for 4th then 2nd overall in the two years I raced it. Id like to pick up a street bike when I'm old enough.

[MG42Madness]

****, I don't know, Jeeps and stuff?

[cptpackrat]

Wheeled hobbies of mine? um I like working on cars, riding ATVs, done some pit crew work for a buddy of mine during his race season. I did a semi-restoration of a 1972 honda trail 70 which was a $50 barn find. After moving I havent really ridden ATVs or dirtbikes much. Over last few months I helped a buddy drop a new motor in his Integra and do various tuning and such.

Im looking into purchasing an VW GTI this next year and doing a light build on it and driving it from GA to CA and back, thats gonna be my latest dive into wheeled hobbies

[94blazer4x4]

I have  1994 S10 Blazer 4x4 that currently has a Vortec V6,electric shift transfer case,and the crappy independent front suspension.I spun a bearing in the motor around Halloween last year,and I'm hoping that once I set aside enough money to buy another vehicle efficiently everyday,that I can swap in a 350 V8 into it,and a Dana 44 solid axle to replace the ifs.It wont be obnoxiously high when its done,and im probably only putting 33" tires on it,but it should be a nice wheeler for mud and light trail riding,and still be a decent daily driver.

[Booligan]

^Heh, I had a 96 S10. Had more problems with that than any of my 13 or so other vehicles. Windows stopped working. Doors stopped opening. Hatch broke. Mirrors started falling off. Tranny lost all but first and second. Finally just gave it to someone when I moved, didn't want to deal with it anymore.

[MG42Madness]

My dad has owned three S10's.  He loved all of them, and admittedly, they never seemed to break on him.  Mind you, the two he owned that were built before 1999 had manual everything. 



Forget putting in a stupid Dana 44 and 350 motor in your truck.  Actually get the motor you have rebuilt, or buy a rebuilt longblock from Jasper or somebody, and spend the remaining money on a moderate suspension lift and pneumatic lockers.  Problem solved.  Unless you're an absolute tool on the skinny pedal, there's no reasoning behind needing the extra beef of a 44 for a vehicle of that size.

Also the Vortec V6's are great little motors.

[94blazer4x4]

My dad has owned three S10's.  He loved all of them, and admittedly, they never seemed to break on him.  Mind you, the two he owned that were built before 1999 had manual everything. 



Forget putting in a stupid Dana 44 and 350 motor in your truck.  Actually get the motor you have rebuilt, or buy a rebuilt longblock from Jasper or somebody, and spend the remaining money on a moderate suspension lift and pneumatic lockers.  Problem solved.  Unless you're an absolute tool on the skinny pedal, there's no reasoning behind needing the extra beef of a 44 for a vehicle of that size.

Also the Vortec V6's are great little motors.

i cant deny that the v6 was a great motor,but ive always wanted to put a 350 in my truck. the way i see it,if im gonna pull a motor out of my truck,and spend the money on rebuilding it(or buying a replacement),i may as well rebuild a v8(or buy a used low mile motor),and throw it in the truck. 94 and earlier v8s are a dime a dozen in the tampa bay area(unless it was rebuild/built up).ive even seen a few vortec 5.7s for less than $500,with less than 100k miles.if i could find a good motor for a good price,swapping it in would only cost me time(except for any nickle and dime problems that come up with any motor swap).
as far as the axle goes, s10 lift kits for ifs cost almost 2k for anything over 3".i currently have the tbars tweaked,lift shakles in the rear,and a 3" body lift,but immediately after the tbars were done,the front cv shafts tore up the boots and started wearing out,and from what ive read,new ones will wear out long before theyre made too as long as the bars are tweaked up.plus,i want to run 33" tires,and the axles werent build to handle that big of a tire.so,for the cost of everything i have to do there,i could get the d44,steering and spring,new shocks,and maybe even a new set of rims and tires(and depending on how much i pay for the axle itself,maybe even rebuild it.)the only real thing it would cost me more of is time,which since the truck is down now anyway,really doesnt make much of a difference,it can sit until i get the money to get it done.(which,if i make sure im ready for this project,both can be done fairly quick.both have been done so many times,almost any problem that can be encountered has,and someone found the solution already).
but,i guess the biggest reason why i want to do this,is because i have a picture of what i want the truck to look like in my head,and ill never be happy until it completely resembles that picture(which also includes redoing the interior,and making it a convertible from the back edge of the front doors back,and completely removing the back windows...)ive also got custom bumpers ive been drawing up for a couple years,trying to get them just perfect.one of these days,i need to make an actual model of the bumper i want,and see how i like it...

so......yeah,it may be overkill,but im very ocd about things i decide to turn into projects,and i am very determined to make this things turn out just right

[MG42Madness]

Is the front axle a Dana 30?

[94blazer4x4]

no,front is stock 7.25 ifs crap.it was completely rebuild when my dad bought the truck in 05,and was almost completely worn out less than a year after i cranked the tbars.i would swap in a d30,if for no other reason than getting it done,but everything ive read says it wont last long even behind a worn out v6,and i can get the d44 for about the same price.

[MG42Madness]

I have a Dana 30 under the front of my Jeep and know plenty of people that roll 35in tires with them.  If your axle shafts are having issues, it's because you're being a moron with the skinny pedal.

[kep5258]

I love trail riding with my jeep, nothing crazy until its no longer a daily driver. but weekend camping and muddy trails are still loads of fun.

[94blazer4x4]

I have a Dana 30 under the front of my Jeep and know plenty of people that roll 35in tires with them.  If your axle shafts are having issues, it's because you're being a moron with the skinny pedal.

actually,i was very easy on the gas.axles werent really my issue(mine were worn out,but they were also the originals on a truck with 186k miles)(i think).but,pretty much everything that can wear out,did right after the lift.i replaced most of it,but it all needs to be replaced again,and ive only put 40k miles on the truck since ive actually owned it.from everything ive ready on the s10s,any lift that keeps the ifs will continue to wear out parts prematurely.

that said,ever since i got the ideas for my truck,the whole point of everything i want to do as been overkill.i want the truck to be more than capable of handling anything i could throw at it,even though it will spend most of its life on pavement

[MG42Madness]

Unless you have a sincere emotional attachment to this vehicle, I highly suggest you just go and replace it with a Tahoe, if you're all that gung-ho about Chevrolet.  It sounds precisely what you need, in a more cost-effective platform.  The things you want to do to it sound way over your head.  It's your money, and ultimately, you can do with it what you want -- but when you get half-way in to an engine swap and you just ran out of funds, I don't want you saying nobody warned you about the difficulties. 


What is it exactly you are replacing on the front suspension?  Has it been properly aligned?  If the suspension is greaseable, have you actually been regreasing it every oil change?

[94blazer4x4]

Unless you have a sincere emotional attachment to this vehicle, I highly suggest you just go and replace it with a Tahoe, if you're all that gung-ho about Chevrolet.  It sounds precisely what you need, in a more cost-effective platform.  The things you want to do to it sound way over your head.  It's your money, and ultimately, you can do with it what you want -- but when you get half-way in to an engine swap and you just ran out of funds, I don't want you saying nobody warned you about the difficulties. 


What is it exactly you are replacing on the front suspension?  Has it been properly aligned?  If the suspension is greaseable, have you actually been regreasing it every oil change?

i actually was going to replace it with a 89-91 4x4 suburban,but,as crazy as it sounds,i am emotionally attached to this car.(plus,i prefer the 4 door blazer body to the 4 door tahoe.)it was my first car,and as of right now,its not running anyway.i do plan on buying a small vehicle to drive everyday,so the truck can sit for awhile,while i get the money for it.i do know its gonna be an expensive project,but i plan on not using this truck for a long time while i get it done,and get everything tuned right.

as for the suspension,everything was checked at every oil change.the truck is aligned as best as it can be.i believe there is some frame damage(passenger side cannot bu fully aligned),which i need to actually confirm,cause if there is,theres no point in planning any of this work on the current frame,in which case,as much as i dont want to,i will say screw it,sell the truck,and find another one.
as far was whats repeatedly wearing out,balljoints.and since i knew the truck was on its way out,i havent bother to replace them,just kept greasing them.

[Josiah]

My toy has turned into my daily driver
1979 MG MGB



What it looked like when I brought her home


I bought this January 2011 and had it back on the road by August.  I replaced all the brakes, replaced the clutch hydraulic system and a few electrical issues, had the tank flushed and relined and painted at a local radiator shop and that's about all I had to do to get it back on the road. I have been driving it as much as I can since then.  It went down for about a month while I replaced the motor mounts and some of the oil seals.  Now I can say that it does not leak oil anymore. for now.

The paint was really oxidized because it had been more or less uncared for for the last 20 or so years.  The car had sat in a garage for the last 16 years after the clutch slave cylinder went out and the car was nearly run over by a semi truck.  There is a dent in the passenger side fender from the lug nuts on the semi truck tire hitting it.  Anyways, the pain buffed out nicely using some magical 3m finessit II.  Its no show stopper but its a good looking driver, at least I think so.

Best example of what the paint used to look like and what the 3M stuff did



She is a fun toy, needs an exhaust because the original one rusted in half so it is running on about 6" of exhaust pipe.  It sounds cool for about 5 minutes and then it starts to get old. 

I am about 3K into the car and cant wait until I have the cash to really throw at it.  Until then I will continue driving it as much as I can.

I have recently been helping a friend of mine fix up his 1969 Series II Land Rover.  We just put in 9 hours of work on it yesterday rebuilding the rear suspension and fixing the rear axle bracing.  We fabricated a rear tire carrier and bumperettes for it and as soon as we get it all back together we are going to start fabricating a roof rack for it.  Wish I had some pictures of it to share.

[Elephant_Gunner]

1989 1st gen Toyota 4Runner. Home-fab rear bumper with swing-out tire carrier. Trail Gear rock sliders. 2.25" welded cat-back with Flowmaster 40. 1" body lift. Pro-Comp shocks. Lots of other goodies. Slowly taking on the form of a decent expedition rig. Next project is a home built front winch bumper, but after that I'm gearing up to swap in a 2.7l 3RZ out of a Tacoma or 3rd-gen 4Runner.

[CottonTheMoth]

I got big into mountain biking last year. My friend invited me to go with him and borrow a friend's spare bike. I loved it so much that I bought a Cannondale Trail SL4. The thing changed my life and really improved my overall health, including how I eat. There's just nothing like being able to pump your way up a mountain and knowing that a combination of mind, body machine made it possible. And then there's the ride down. My friend got a Trek Cobia for about $400 more than my bike, and he's put hundreds into it from things going wrong and throwing money at it, so it seems as though I made the right choice!

I recently got more into roller blading. Laugh if you want, but roller blading is more fun than you can imagine once you've spent a bit of time getting the hang of it and not looking like an uncoordinated buffoon. I went to a skate park with a couple of my friends who skateboard and learned how to drop down from tall ramps without killing myself. It's one hell of a workout to skate in my hilly neighborhood, and there's just something nice about gliding across pavement and feeling it right through your feet.
I started off with some rollerblades off of eBay for $20, and realized that it was something I wanted to persue so I got these bad boys:


Now my only problem is that I'm moved back home from the dormitory and I can't stop eating crap that my parents keep here at the house.

kdb135, what bike do you own?

[kdb135]

It's a specialized hard rock. Same story here.

Had a few cheap mountain bikes before I really got into it, and when I did I shelled out about $800 for everything. Only problem I have had has been the derailleur mount snapping off, but I ordered it for less than thirty shipped to my door through specialized. Other than that it's been your typical yearly maintenance at my local bike shop where a friend of mine works, and replacing tires here and there.

Going out for a ride someday this week and will get some purdy pictures of it out in it's natural habitat.   

[MG42Madness]

There's some guy that owns an old Chevy Fleetside on one of the roads I have to take to get to work.  The guy has a For Sale sticker on the truck.  Funny thing is, you can see the huuuuge block spacers on his axles where he's done a shoddy job of lifting it.  I swear, they're so visible from the road, that they have to be at least 8". 

[94blazer4x4]

There's some guy that owns an old Chevy Fleetside on one of the roads I have to take to get to work.  The guy has a For Sale sticker on the truck.  Funny thing is, you can see the huuuuge block spacers on his axles where he's done a shoddy job of lifting it.  I swear, they're so visible from the road, that they have to be at least 8". 

ive heard a lot of states are actually banning lift blocks because of how unsafe theyre actually turning out to be.you should see how some of the mud trucks in florida are built.a lot of people make homemade body lifts that are 5-10" tall...

edit: mg,youd have a field day with some of the people on this website:
http://128.83.80.200/taco/scarysteering.html

[lulukchoo23]

It's about time someone made a thread like this... I was actually thinking about starting one of these a while back.

My dear beloved:



Yeah, I'm into the fixed gear trend, but don't peg me as one of those little kids in high school who bike around the city thinking that they are super hardcore and BA just because they have a cool fixie that their mom bought them. This is my commuter, and I also ride around with a bike club/group out in San Jose called San Jose Fixed. The group has 30-ish mile group rides every Tuesday, holds sponsored races every few weeks, and basically runs the iMiNUSD store, which I would say is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, urban cycling stores (next to City Grounds).

Here's me with some of them:


Yee.

Enough of that. Component talk:
-Frame: Nashbar Hounder (bought the full bike at $200, sold basically everything but, and got nearly $150 back)
-Fork: Shimano Pro carbon straight fork
-Wheelset: Origin8 Track Attacks, laced to Origin8 hubs, 14T and 15T fixed cogs (one on each side)
-Tires: CST Comps
-Crankset/Chainring/BB: Vuelta Pista crank, Vuelta Pista 46T chainring, over an Andel BB
-Pedals: Crank Bros. Candy 1's (I have Chrome Kursk Pro's clipless to match)
-Seatpost: I used to run a Selle Italia carbon, but I switched to a Profile Design Razor
-Saddle: Origin8 Road Saddle
-Handlebars: I ran the Easton EA30 Aero drops in the photo, but I switched to Aero Bars. Syntace T2's on Origin8 Bullhorns now
-Stem: Used to have a Ritchey WCS 4-Axis, but switched to an Easton EA70 (to fit the bullhorns)

The frame used to be black, so the green wheels and pink seat/tape made it more obvious that I was going for a "watermelon" look. But, I took a bunch of stickers and stickerbombed the bike, so now you don't really realize it.

[Elephant_Gunner]

edit: mg,youd have a field day with some of the people on this website:
http://128.83.80.200/taco/scarysteering.html

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=849050

[94blazer4x4]

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=849050

oh my god...i never would have thought anyone here would ever visit pirate4x4.