Pine Mountain Run..

Crinale

Crinale

Forum Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Messages
50
Location
Santa Maria, CA, USA
You guys said you liked reading trip reports, so ill post up for you all to enjoy ^_^

Well my girlfriend and I had a complete day off together, so we decided to do a little 4 wheelin... Filled the 4runner up with gas and hit the trail... started out on Hi-Mountain trail, which is a mostly easy grated dirt access trail with a few badly rutted areas, but nothing that needs 4wd.

Then moved on to Pozo Rd, which is an even easier trail... could do it in my old lowered civic... then we came upon Pine Mountain. Did the short side first which ends at the bottom of the "stairsteps", which is a crazy rock outcropping that would require a seriously modded solid axle F/R vehicle, or even a rock buggy...

View of the stairsteps from the bottom: (no pic does justice to the severity of this trail)
4.jpg


And the gorgeous view from the trail:
1.jpg

2.jpg



And a few of the lovely GF (and me) who put up with a full day offroadin...
3.jpg

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From there we turned around and went back to the Backbone trail (Pozo Road), and headed off for the other side of Pine Mountain Trail. I have no idea why the 4wheel book i have rates this side of the trail easier than the short side, as the short side (book rated the short side a 6 out of 9 possible, with the steps rated a 9, and the long side a 5)... I wish i had some action shots of the long side, as this was the first time iv ever encountered a trail that required 4-Low... most of the trails around here are 4hi friendly.

Followed the trail all the way to the stairsteps to find this sign:
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Reads: CAUTION: 'STAIRSTEPS' AHEAD / MOST DIFFICULT / ADVANCED DRIVERS ONLY / LAST TURN AROUND HERE / MODIFIED 4WD VEHICLES ONLY / PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK

And one of the view from the top of the steps:
9.jpg


Getting down to the top of the steps was the easy part... getting back out was a whole 'nother story... Lockers would have proved to be very useful, as i kept getting opposite wheels off the ground trying to get over the rocks... Got lots of pinstriping, but the great thing about white, you cant really see any of it unless you are looking for it ^_^. Didnt break anything, but added a few "modifications"...

(Damage pics taken on Pismo Dunes where we stopped on the way home to eat our picnic lunch we had packed)

Stock T-Case skid:
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Stock Gas Tank Skid:
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And some rock rash on the rear diff:
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The one damage i didnt get a pic of, since i didnt notice it til today cleaning the truck, the Stock front skid plate is no longer flat... it met a rock quite hard, ill try to get a pic of it tomorrow...

All in all, i didnt break anything, had a lot of fun, and discovered the current limits of my stock 4Runner.
 
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Crinale said:
All in all, i didnt break anything, had a lot of fun, and discovered the current limits of my stock 4Runner.
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Good to see that nothing got broken. :)

What a view that is at the top. I really really like the second & third pics, they are magic. :raz: Great to see you had a great time. :)

Thanks for sharing. :biggrin:

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Nice report!!!:) My transfer case skid plate bent like that my first venture out, a couple more trips and I received the dent in the fuel tank.

Check out BudBuilt, I have his front skid plate and plan on getting the low profile crossmember at some point in time, he also makes a belly plate that goes in between the two. Now, if some one would just figure out something with the fuel tank, it sticks out like a sore thumb, and besides fuel cell (Big $$$) I haven't come across anything.:shrug:
 
carljwnc said:
Nice report!!!:) My transfer case skid plate bent like that my first venture out, a couple more trips and I received the dent in the fuel tank.

Check out BudBuilt, I have his front skid plate and plan on getting the low profile crossmember at some point in time, he also makes a belly plate that goes in between the two. Now, if some one would just figure out something with the fuel tank, it sticks out like a sore thumb, and besides fuel cell (Big $$$) I haven't come across anything.:shrug:
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I wish i could afford the budbuild skid... but $300 is a little too much for me right now... i think im gonna pull the stock front skid off, bash it flat again and probably weld some bracing on to the backside to make it stronger...

I've seen another option for the gas tank... its an early 90's ford (f150 i think) tank that fits between the frame rails in the back directly above the axle... the only problem is i have only seen it on leaf sprung vehicles, so i dont know if it fits with the stock 4-link setup.

where i first saw it was in the second post of this guys build:
https://www.yotatech.com/f88/fillsrunner4-3-4cralwer-pic-heavy-132060/
(This think is SICK... i read the whole build)
 
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I like that fuel tank idea, but it says somewhere in there that it will only work with a leaf spring conversion :sad:, maybe someday... I'll have to go back and read that whole build, it was getting me drooling...

I'm surprised you don't see many aftermarket replacements for the stock skid plate. I like your idea of bracing it up, that would probably work pretty well. I also don't think it would be to hard to fab up a DIY skid plate using the stocker for a template, the stock one really seems like more of a shroud than a skid plate, it's pretty flimsy. The nice thing about the Budbuilt is that it goes all the way back to behind the control arms, the bad thing about it is oil changes are a 55lb. PITA.
 
ouch... ya, i think im gonna build a custom front bumper and integrate the skid plate into it...
 
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Crinale said:
ouch... ya, i think im gonna build a custom front bumper and integrate the skid plate into it...
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Being unemployed (laid off) I'm looking at the possibility of going back to school and getting in the welding program.:) I've already got a machinist's degree and five years working at that, if I can learn how to weld, you better believe I'll be making some custom parts.:bcool: Lot's of cool stuff out there, but I always want it just different enough to warrant some custom building.
 
I wish i had experience in Machining... it will be a lot easier for you to learn to weld than it would be for me to learn it all from nothing :-P
 
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Crinale said:
I wish i had experience in Machining... it will be a lot easier for you to learn to weld than it would be for me to learn it all from nothing :-P
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A few years prior to my enrollment in the machining program they actually had some welding as part of the program, but it got cut for some reason.:sad: I thought I learned a lot in the machining program at school, but it's one of those things, you don't really start to learn until your out there in the work place. If/when I do learn some welding I think it's going to open up a lot more doors for me.:cool:
 
carljwnc said:
I like that fuel tank idea, but it says somewhere in there that it will only work with a leaf spring conversion :sad:, maybe someday... I'll have to go back and read that whole build, it was getting me drooling...
Click to expand...

i have since seen people that have done this with the stock suspension... and i looked under my runner, the only thing that would need clearancing is the stock rear x-member needs to be cut out, and you need to weld in a new x-member farther back... otherwise the only problems are wiring, and running the filler hose ^_^
 
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