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Crazznewt

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Yeah, maybe they should move to China, avoid research and development costs by copying American and Japanese technology, use slave labor, send it back to America, and sell it at less than 1/3 the cost of the original, and still make a profit
 

Kartorbust

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The thing is, the Vanguard engines were designed and initially built in Japan. Some of the cheaper engines are built in China.
 

mindymogul

Mistress of Destruction
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The old BS Vanguard's I've never had luck with. Tons of tractors used them but they always seemed to be one of the most factory-oriented engines out there and parts for them aren't the easiest or cheapest to come by. Now the 16hp one leggers they used in the OLLLLLD Cub Cadet, MTD, and Simplicity's could go on for YEARS. The one I had always leaked oil out of the output shaft bearing but it was used everyday from 1977 to 2014 until the cylinder wall finally wallered itself out. But a Predator will ALWAYS be #1 on my list. Yeah it's outsourced, but it'll run of radioactive horse p*** and light up 1st try every time (Once you take out the fuel cutoff)
 

Kartorbust

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This is why you don't buy 90s or 2000s Toyota trucks and SUVs. This is a 2001 4Runner with 190k miles on the clock.
 

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Kartorbust

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Toyota has been using cheap Brazilian steel in these for years. The salt belt and coasts destroy these frames like crazy. The cheap steel lacks really any rust preventative and they don't do any type of coating to help the problem. Unfortunately, the 4Runner was never apart of the recall, despite it being brought forth to the NHTSA over the years. It's been going on since 1995.
 

Kartorbust

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I'm kind of wanting some input from the members of the community on here. Eventually I'll start a build thread on my dune buggy, but I'd like to have more input. I've already started a thread on another forum who specializes in VW, but I've spent many more hours on here and I'd rather not leave this community I'd call home.

So I've come to the conclusion to dismantle the current buggy and strip everything on it and salvage the tubing from it for other things, rather it be for shelving or just practice metal for joints, or whatever I decide to do with it; and do up a different frame. I'll be doing this for several reasons, wheel base is too short. The welds on the frame and cage are just way too sketchy for me to want to call them safe. It will take way too many hours of grinding, re welding, adding extra bracing, extending, etc to make it better. I'd rather start with a clean slate.

So my options are, build a brand new frame from the ground up or buy a prefabricated frame that just needs to be welded together. I have many many more hours welding than I do fabricating from scratch (going off of plans would be ideal, but none really exist) and I have zero experience bending tubing and I'd rather not waste money on tubing if I can help it to learn to bend properly at this time.

Where I'm at with the whole thing at this time is, need to buy a new master cylinder, front and rear wheel cylinders, shoes, drums. Need to buy two 15x5 wheels for the rear. Need 205/75/15 tires for the front. 235/75/15 tires for the rear. Going to have the generator gone through and maybe have the output increased. Get a proper spun aluminum fuel tank and toss out the plastic 5 gallon can that was being used. Rebuild the carburetor. Remove the old exhaust and install the set of performance pipes that I got with the extra parts pile I got for $300. Remove the GM bench seat with lap belts for buckets with 5 points. Rewire everything including the gauges. Add in a cylinder head temperature gauge for cylinder number 3 (hottest cylinder), add in a volt meter along with the current ammeter. New 12v battery. New voltage regulator (if needed, more than likely).

Did find out that the Amber lights on top of the cage are Chieftain halogen fog lights.
So I have a pretty full plate with this and I'm probably forgetting several items, but I'd like to start fresh on the right foot with this so it can be driven safely on road and off road. And yes I did say on road because i want register it again for road use.
 

karl

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guys I found Ken Block's wheelchair

If i can find a cheap/free donor, I want to build one with my turbo gx200, or the 98 Yamaha yz125 motor collecting dust,
or even the 11hp tecumseh 358cc flathead I just finished. Ported, relieved, shaved head, deleted gasket, rotated piston (offset wrist pin),
deleted governor, and custom intake/exhaust.

Upgraded the small engine room in my basement, 6 four foot shop lights, and hung up the wrenches. Freed up lots of room in
the cramped hazard fraught roll cart.


I'm kind of wanting some input from the members of the community on here.

If your going to do it, definitely do it right. It will be well worth it. I have never attempted such a project,
but the prefabricated kit seems like a good solution.
 

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Powersrp

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This is why you don't buy 90s or 2000s Toyota trucks and SUVs. This is a 2001 4Runner with 190k miles on the clock.
Cmon, its 20 yrs old, 190,000 moles, how many chevy blazers or ford explores from that year still on the rd? i had an 03 4 runner, def had some rust under there , but at 180.000 miles the oil still looked clean after 5,000 miles and the 4.0 vs ran like a swiss watch, never leaked a drop of anything. Once a year had to grease caliper sliders, thats it.
 

Kartorbust

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I do see 80s and 90s Broncos, K5 Blazer, 80s K10 Suburbans, 70s-90s F-series trucks, Rangers, S10s, baby Blazers floating around here. For whatever reason, Japanese built vehicles do not seem to have a quality rust preventative on the frames. Either bad metallurgy or no rust coatings. I can crawl under older US trucks (Ford, GM, Dodge) of similar vintage and not see a frame rotted.
 

bob58o

SuckSqueezeBangBlow
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If you guys enjoy the same type of stuff as me, check out "Stuff Made Here" and "SmarterEveryDay" on youtube. Some cool stuff going on here. They did a collaboration where they supercharged a baseball bat with four rounds of gun powder to see if they could hit 700' homeruns. I like being the dumbest person in the room and watching these guys puts me right there. LOL
 

Kartorbust

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If you guys enjoy the same type of stuff as me, check out "Stuff Made Here" and "SmarterEveryDay" on youtube. Some cool stuff going on here. They did a collaboration where they supercharged a baseball bat with four rounds of gun powder to see if they could hit 700' homeruns. I like being the dumbest person in the room and watching these guys puts me right there. LOL

I'll have to check that out on my lunch break tomorrow.

Started watching a canceled cartoon from the 1990s called BattleTech. It was made to advertise the franchise that started in the 80s as a tabletop game and video games (Mechwarrior). I didn't know about the show really only of the games. Pretty good for being hand drawn with decent (for the time CGI). Waiting to see if Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries makes it to Xbox. It was on the Epic Game store, now it's on Microsoft Game Pass. So I'm hoping Xbox port by 2021.

 

JTSpeedDemon

2019 Build Off Winner!
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Well shoot while we're on the topic, check out the Hacksmith! By far my favorite YT channel, basically a bunch of Canadian guys with a bunch of tech and oh, did I mention they have built LIGHTSABERS!!!??? No really, one of their latest builds is a legit retractable blade plasma based lightsaber!!! Yep, I'd say the age of lightsabers is here.
 

mckutzy

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I like how the internet/YouTube plays fast and loose with the word Light Sabre...

It's a glorified suped up glass torch burner... in a cool looking handle/backpack for the gas...
 

Kartorbust

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Scored! My family is quite supporting of my hobby or what hobby I'll be getting into. Not sure why my dad and brother had to send me bday gifts but they did.
 

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