What would be the best way to learn to do mild to moderate off roading in my '84 F1504x4? The truck is stock with 31in tires be the only modification? The type of offraoding I would be doing is mild trails. There are no clubs in my area. Does anyone have any tips they can offer? I have a 5spd manual tranny. All help will be appreciated.

 

Hi Snapper_Rider,
First off, I would find a buddy with a 4x4. If your not experienced you don't want to see what your truck can do without someone there to help with recovery. Next, make sure you have tow straps, some type of hi-lift jack, a heavy duty come-along, pieces of 3/4" plywood, several 4"x4" blocks. These items will be very handy to have on several types of surfaces. The straps and jack are self explanitory, The plywood should be at least 12"x12" as with the lenght of the 4"x4" blocks, when in soft, muddy or sandy soils these items can assist with keeping the jack from going to china. You can also place these under the wheels to help keep the truck from sinkin'. Stay away from water crossings unless you don't mind changin' fluids everytime. Find a hill that you can practice on-not to high, see how the truck reacts and to practice right foot control, try to tread lightly, some places you need a heavy foot (mud boggin') but for the most part NOT spinning the tires is the way to keep going. The most important thing is to conserve momentum, it's much harder to get going from a standing start than if you are already rollin'. A winch is nice to have but not really needed for mild wheelin'. Lastly, there is no substitute for experience! Start small and work your way to the harder spots only after you have confidence in your abilities and your vehicals abilities, then tackle those "impossible" hills and trails. Most of all, be safe, use common sense and enjoy yourself-the more you get to go and don't over use your truck or yourself the better it gets. After 14yrs of trailridin', I've been stuck many atimes, but have always got myself out. Now I will tackle the dune buggy trails that when I started out would not even have considered let alone tried! Experience is the best teacher! Hope this helps to get you offroad, enjoy the ride!! Chuck P.

 

Hey Snapper_Rider,
Just a couple of other things I thought about when I was out this weekend. A couple of things to have with-a good shovel and a pry bar/diggin' iron. I carry a combo shovel/axe as well as a short (4ft) digging iron, this I can use as a pry bar when needed. As far as mods, the next thing after tires is shocks to contol them meats. A good aftermarket shock is most likely to be your next upgrade. This will help on the street also, although it may be a little stiffer ride. It will help keep the tires in contact with the ground. Also good to have with is a cell phone and CB. Make sure you have a full size spare-it can be really hard to get out of anywhere with only 3 fullsize tires! Check all your frontend bushings, if these are somewhat worn, the larger tires (even 31's) will make them seem much worse and result in very poor on-road manners as well as create bumpsteer and wander off-road. Sorry I didn't post this the first time around-Chuck P.

 

Snapper_Rider,
That was some very good advice from Chuck.I would re emphasize the need to have another rig on the trail with you.Even as you become better equipt,both in terms of tools and experience,you will also be taking on bigger challenges that you may have originaly thought were impossible. You will want to start accumulating extra parts.As you start trekking farther and farther you need to be more preparred.Dont wait for parts like starters to go bad on a trail(especialy with an automatic),replace them before hand and keep the old ones as a spare.You wont necessarily need them if your in well traveled area and not far from civilization,but they are very important when you are 50 miles out in bad terrain. Always carry extra water,both for the vehichle and yourself.Always bring a 1st aid kit,extra gas,flashlight,matches,knife,basic tools and a fire extinguisher.A C.B. Radio as Chuck mentioned,is also in my opinion a must have item. Extra oil,belts,duct tape,zip ties,bailing wire,etc.are all good items to have in your tool box. You will get to where you can fit all of these types of neccessities into a fairly small area.I can pack all of those items and much more into my jeep wrangler along with food for 2 for 4 days,tent,chain saw,on board compressor,etc., and still have room to spare.Making boxes and racks for the equiptment in prepparation for a trip is 1/2 the fun. Another thing that will allow you to tackle much harder hills and obstacles is to air down your tires,but then you will need to carry at least a small 12 volt compressor,(they take a while to air up but they will get the job done).You can start by airing down to about 15 to 20 lbs,you can go much lower though(I run as low as 8 to 10 in my F-250 and 4 to 6 lbs in the Jeep),this will add an amazing amount of extra traction and smooth the ride,but you can un bead the tire,so make sure you have a spare.If you do un bead a tire and dont have the means to re seat it,put your spare on and air up the other 3,and head for civilization. Have fun and spend some time behind the wheel,if done safely it is one of the best ways to get away and relax,(although when freeing your truck from a muddy quagmire it may not seem like it). As you get more into it keep the board posted with questions or problems,there are many more tips and up grades. Later,
Jeff

 

 

Yeah, Chuck I. gots really good advice. Don't get sucked into the idea that you need a lift, lockers, huge tires, and everything else to do serious 'wheelin. Make sure you got good tires though. They are a safety mod, as well as a performance mod. People with cheap 35" tires will get stuck where people with a good 28" off road tire will plow right through. Interco's Swampers, BFG M/T, and A/T's are great. A 33" tire would be nice but not at all necessary. Again make sure your buddies are along to pull you out. Some of the best times you have off road is when yer stuck as could be. Just laugh and make the best of any situation, but think about it before driving into a bottomless mud hole. Watch your clutch, stay off of it. Off roadin ruins clutches. I've gone through three in a year when I'm doin a lot of rock crawlin and such. Better to replace a clutch than a tranny though. Avoid big rocks until you have a real feel for the clutch and situations on other obstacles. Oh, and wash that truck when you get back from muddin. Make sure you crawl under there, as uncomfortable as it is, and wash all the mud off the undercarriage. If you're still drivin a ford from the '80's move the air intake up right under the hood. Make sure you know whose property you are on. People don't take kindly to three foot deep ruts goin through their horse pasture. Just have fun, cause nothin's more fun than takin that rig you usually drive on the street and gettin it vertical and/or caked with mud.

 

Chuck ain't listenting cuz this thread is five years old

 

I was just happy to see that a newbie was using the search feature.

 

o wow, the craziness that goes on here. is chuck even still on this board? lol

 

yea thats insane.

i've been noticing quite a bit of this type of thing going on as of recently (or it seems to me anyways)

 

maybe they're just trying to boost their post count

 

like i am now

 

you are gonna get nailed by the mods! they really dont' like that.

-cutts-

 

Actually, I don't like that either. Post padding equals

 

sorry guys i couldnt resist a chance to do that like some other people do

pro - the '73 looks awesome man. how do you get in that thing??? i got a buddy with a '70 chevy that has a 7" lift and 35" tires. its actually not that bad for a chevy (omg what did i just say????)