Views from the Creeper

Sad day for music

2008-08-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

LeRoi Moore, founder of Dave Matthews Band and incredible musician died yesterday due to complications from an ATV accident that happened on his VA farm on June 30. He was 46 years old.

He arranged most of the songs that DMB played and wrote a few himself. He was a master of all woodwinds, with an incredible "acid jazz" style that fit so well with the music that he loved and played.LeRoi was the quite member of DMB, but he played one of the biggest rolls. You would find him on stage, hiding in the shadows or playing his amazing assortment of instruments behind dark sunglasses. Truth be told, he had stage fright! He was an amazing man, incredible musician and a faithful member to Dave Matthews Band. He will be missed.

http://news. yahoo. com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_en_mu/obit_leroi_moore

Why is this so hard?!?

2008-07-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

The other night I was staring at my FJ40 project, drinking a beer and wondering what the hell I’m going to do with this thing… I’m really not looking for something that will replace my 80 series, but I really don’t want a trailer queen either. But where is that dividing line? How far is too far?

I know that I need to have a set of goals for this rig and stick to them to the best of my ability, but I also know that building a rig a nothing but a series of compromises and cheap opportunities! I would like it to be street legal. I want to be able to run a soft top with doors for the rain/snow. I want it to be geared down enough that I can run a manual without hating it. (I need to do this because of driveline length.) It needs to be fuel injected or propane fed for angles. I want it to be able to run the Crushers. I want it stable enough to drive it to Dairy Queen on a nice summer night. Dependability is a must. I’m sure there are other things, but I can’t think of them!

As for cheap opportunities, I can get a 1968 tub for $100. The problem is none of the body mounts will line up and I will loose the under-tub gas tank. This is not a huge deal if I decide to run propane. Speaking of which, I have a good used 2F bottom end (and a line on a rebuilt head) that I could set up for propane rather cheap, but I don’t know about the legality issues of making it pass DEQ and I would love to put a V8 in her! I can pick up well built 40 series axles for a good price, but would love to have the stability of a 60 series front axle and a full-floating 80 series axle in the rear. Another problem with that is I would need to run an off-set transfer case, where I really want a 3 speed Stak. I guess I could run a ToyBox, but it’s longer…

The fact of the matter is there is so many things that need to fall into place and I just flat want this thing on the road… I think I’m going to need your guys help to stay focused and not just throw it together just to start over again in a couple years! I’m finally getting the opportunity to build a rig from the ground up and I feel so overwhelmed I almost want to sell it (scrap it?!?).

The new project is home!

2008-07-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine (and fellow Cruiserhead) bought a 1979 FJ40 a while back for parts. The tub was shot, but it had some good parts on it and he did a great job at stripping the usable parts. One day I was talking to him about wanting to start a 40 project but not having the money to buy a base. At the end of the conversation, he ended up with more room in his shop and I ended up with a clean titled, stripped FJ40 to call my own!

Well, last night it finally made it to it's new home and was pushed back behind my shop. Now don't get me wrong, this is going to be a really slow build. And I'm not 100% sure how extreme I want to go with it since I'm not selling my FZJ80 when it's finished. However, I do know that it will live again!

As it sits now, I have a shot tub that will go to the scrappers, a solid frame, Saginaw power steering, SOA lift with shackle reversal and a bunch of miscellaneous parts... I think I will keep the front suspension as is, but I may 4-link the rear. I would like to run it with as much Toyota equipment as possible, so it will have a FJ60 front end and a FZJ80 rear (more than likely), 2F running on propane injection, SM465 tranny and a Dana 300 (Stak?) transfer case. I found a tub for an early 40 that I will try to make work...

All in all, I'm really excited for the project. I will try to keep you guys updated on what is going on with it in real time. (i.e. really slowly!) And now, some pics of it before it came to my place:

Drivers indifference...

2008-06-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

So my wife and I have some decent cars as daily drivers. She has a fully loaded, limited edition Passat and I have a newer 3 series BMW. Starting with her car, we have owned it for a little over a month. It still doesn’t have plates on it and it’s been hit twice. My BMW got hit while it was parked in front of my house. Come to think of it, my wife’s 4Runner got hit parked in front of our house… And we live on a cul-de-sac!

The point I’m trying to make is, what in the hell happened to drivers?!? When did they stop paying attention and start being so damn selfish? Every day I almost get into an accident… What in the hell is wrong with people?!? And what does that say about the way they handle other aspects of their life? Do they handle their marriage with the same disregard? How about the way they raise their children?

The way that I see it, they don’t care because it doesn’t directly effect them. However, where does that leave us as a society? How is it that people have become so narrow minded? If this trend continues, there will be a dramatic wake up call in our future! So think about it the next time you feel like you don’t care about something. Why don’t you care? Is it because you really don’t have a preference or is it because you don’t think that it will effect you in any way?

Wheeling a rented H3

2008-04-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

People in the four wheeling world are a pretty tight group. This is more so when we all wheel the same type of vehicle. I know people all over the US that drive Land Cruisers that I have never met face to face or talked on the phone. We talk on forums all the time and I feel like I know these people. We are drawn together with our love of the Land Cruiser. This is the beauty of the internet and someday, I will get to wheel with them!

Anyway, in a rare opportunity, I was able to get together with one of those Cruiserheads last night for a drink. He happened to be in Portland on business and I was more than happy to spend the evening getting to know someone that I have talked to on forums for the last three years. As the conversation continued, I found out that he was driving a rented Hummer H3… That was fully covered.

He brought up the idea that we should go wheeling and see how the H3 faired next to our beloved 80 series Land Cruiser. Well, that was all the push I needed! I’m bailing from work at noon and we are heading up to Brown’s Camp! I know that I shouldn’t burn the tank of gas. I know that the conditions up there aren’t very good. I have a meeting that I can’t miss at 7 tonight. But come hell or high water, I’m going wheeling!

This is the reason I do this. It’s not about the challenge or the surrounding. Even thought I really enjoy that part of the experience and I know it wouldn’t be the same without it; that is not the most important part. It’s the people that I get to meet. The understanding that we have for each other and the mutual respect for the environment we are enjoying. The skill of weaving our machines to go see that territory and the process of making them better for what we do. I love this hobby! And hell, it’s cheaper than golf!

What we are drawn to and why...

2008-04-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

So today I was playing around on one of my favorite PBBs (www.timbercrawler.com - It's a PBB for off-road enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest) when I stumbled my way into the classifieds. Now, this is always a dangerous place for me to spend time. Like most people, I have a buying problem. Usually it involves something really cheap or free and at one time was a working vehicle. (If you continue to read my blogs, you will find out just how patient my wife is!) For example, my latest find was a 1979 Toyota Land Cruiser for free! Well, it was a Land Cruiser... Now it's a frame with a rusted out body and a title. I shit you not, that is the extent. No drive train, no wiring, no seats, no tires, no nothing. I think you get my point.

Anyway, so I'm lurking around and I find a Hummer. Not some pansy H2 or H3, a real Hummer... It's even a wagon. And best yet, it's cheap. Now somewhere in my mind, the remembrance of my swearing I would not buy another diesel anytime soon after passing a gas station selling the liquid gold for $4.29 per gallon disappeared. The thoughts of me never owning a Hummer vanished and all that was left was the following: "Wow, that's cheap... Didn't my wife say that she liked those? I wonder if we could swing another car payment. Hmmm..." And that was all it took to find out what the APR on a used car loan would be.... We just bought her a Camry ($600!!! How could I pass that up?!?) that I haven't even transferred the title yet. What the hell am I thinking?!?

I have a sickness. Apparently a lot of people have it... I'm going to look at a Hummer tonight.