First trip out didnt go well. First thing was it wandered bad on the highway. Kinda sucked to drive. Put it in 4WD to climb the steep hill to get my favorite spot to chill at Table Mesa at night. Had nasty grinding/clicking/banging from the front end and the Yukon compressor powering my air locker wouldn't shut off....just ran and ran and never locked in the rear end.
I took it to my trusted Toyota mechanic (Cary @ Got Propane). $3800 later I had new CV axles, steering rack, rear controls arms and some general maintenance done. Also found the Yukon compressor was a dud. Wouldn't build enough pressure to shut off. Got it swapped out and went back out there last Saturday night.
Trip went great. The rig rides great on the dirt roads, and climbed the steep rutted out hill with ease. Made it to the top around 9pm and chilled in my camp chair until midnight enjoying the view. It was a super hot day but cooled off nicely out there. Was 76* when I rolled home. The 4.88 gears made the descent down the hill super nice. 4LO first gear is super great. I was definetly in my happy place. I do miss my 2JZ crawler but my back wont let me do the hardcore trails anymore. This will have to do.
I cant wait to spend some more time in the desert with it, and head for the mountains for some camping. I removed the second and third row seats so I have enough room for my mattress and all my camping gear inside, with a nice comfortable place to sleep at night off the ground.
I have a Warn Evo winch for the front, just waiting on my Brute Force Fab front bumper.
Oh and I ditched both sway bars. Its pretty damn stable on road, and rides so much better off-road.
