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Post by blownb310 on Nov 9, 2012 23:40:15 GMT -5
I am looking for members here from the northeast who would like to join us for some "soft roading." That's mild off roading that a stock 4WD compact can handle. Mostly just dirt fire access and seasonal back roads. The route is just outside of the Capital District [Albany] area of upstate NY. I would like to get a few compact 4WD cars together for such activities. I have put together a few routes in and have a small group of like minded enthusiasts lined up to go along, including my 4WD Sentra wagon, an RT 4WD Civic wagon and two Suzuki SX4's. We'd love to have a 4WD Justy join us!We're not into mud bogging. Just challenging routes where you have to pay attention to stay damage free, but not beyond the capabilities of a compact 4WD car. There were a few streams that flowed across the road to make it interesting. If this looks like fun let me know. We'll bring lunch and take some pics of our cars. We're looking to head out for our first ever 4WD compact car tour coming up on Sunday, Nov.25th. Mike
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Post by Cañon Carver on Nov 10, 2012 0:38:24 GMT -5
Justy's can handle a LOT more than that kind of trailing, trust me I wish I was on your guys side, I take my little guy wheeling with my buddy in his Samurai and my Fathers JK Wrangler. They are pretty amazing little machines
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Post by blownb310 on Nov 15, 2012 22:45:36 GMT -5
Update: I have postponed the event one week and we will now be having it on Sunday, December 2nd.
Who knows, we might even get some snow by then!
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Post by blownb310 on Nov 15, 2012 22:48:30 GMT -5
Justy's can handle a LOT more than that kind of trailing, trust me I wish I was on your guys side, I take my little guy wheeling with my buddy in his Samurai and my Fathers JK Wrangler. They are pretty amazing little machines Thanks for the reply. I'm sure they are amazing machines. I wish there were some left in the northeast but it seems like they may have become a rarity in the salt belt states. Are there any Justy owners here in the northeast? Mike
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Post by blownb310 on Nov 16, 2012 22:01:15 GMT -5
I was out scouting some more trails this past weekend. This one was looking really good until.... ....it lead to this steep drop off that would be too much for our cars. It was a great photo-op though. ;D
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Post by Cañon Carver on Nov 16, 2012 23:58:26 GMT -5
LOLOL, that last pic is funny. How much ground clearance do you have at your differentials? I am sitting right at 9" rear, 8.5" in the front. That trail would be a cake walk for any Justy. I wish you were local so I could take you out on our trails
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Post by uniacke on Nov 18, 2012 12:28:50 GMT -5
justy would make that in 2 wheel for fun lol
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Post by blownb310 on Nov 26, 2012 23:30:41 GMT -5
LOL, that last pic is funny. How much ground clearance do you have at your differentials? I am sitting right at 9"; rear, 8.5"; in the front. That picture doesn't show everything. Just after that drop off was a dry gulch with 15" boulders. It was time to turn around for any car based 4WD vehicle. ;D I have 6.9" of ground clearance. My suspension is at stock height. What did you do to your Justy to get 9" of ground clearance? Is there a build thread link?
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Post by blownb310 on Nov 26, 2012 23:39:25 GMT -5
I was out all afternoon finalizing [and prepping] the course for this Sunday's outing. Remember this is "soft roading" fellas. There is a DL wagon coming along that said he has a low hanging exhaust pipe so I cleared the rocks that might cause him a problem. It was much larger than it appeared. There were a few others that I removed the hard way. I unearthed one more new "cow path" just as it got dark. I saw a very large owl fly across my hood and land in a a nearby tree. He stayed there and watched me. It was only when I got out of the car to take his picture that he flew away. Too bad, because I had the camera on "night vision" and it would have been awesome. I used to keep my wagon spotless and clean it right away after any kind of outing. But now with this 4WD stuff is going on every week, I won't bother washing it until after the event Sunday.
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Post by blownb310 on Nov 27, 2012 21:32:06 GMT -5
Here's a little backround on that boulder I dug out above. A few weeks ago it bent my rear control arm. It was the only rock that stuck up just a bit too far for my undercarriage, but I was able to go around it going up the dead end trail. However on the way back I was not careful enough and missed it in leaves coming back down. It just slightly scraped my left rear control arm. It didn't feel like much from inside the car but this was the result: My flimsy rear control arms are made from light gauge sheet steel. So I straightened it out with a hammer and a dolly, then prepped it for strengthening. I cut out a template from a cereal box to transfer to some steel plate that I will welded onto the arms to "box" them in.
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Post by Armageddous on Nov 27, 2012 21:50:22 GMT -5
Just the one control arm? Terry
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Post by blownb310 on Nov 27, 2012 22:10:17 GMT -5
Just the one control arm? Terry Yes, but I boxed in both of them.
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Post by blownb310 on Nov 27, 2012 22:13:38 GMT -5
I wonder if there are any Justy 4wd owners in upstate NY that would like to join us?
Mike
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Post by blownb310 on Nov 29, 2012 23:35:47 GMT -5
All set to commence the first ever northeast 4WD compact car event on Sunday morning. The meet details have been sent to all who have signed up. Glad I didn't wash my car, it's supposed to rain/snow a bit the day before, and be 50 degrees on Sunday. Might have to get a running start before that one really steep hill.
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Post by blownb310 on Dec 3, 2012 10:27:23 GMT -5
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Post by madmatt on Dec 3, 2012 16:58:36 GMT -5
Looks like a ton of fun. Man I miss my '84 GL... 1800, low range, adjustable ride height, brush bar... too much tin worm.
Oh yeah and love the sandwich on the motor! Used to stick all sorts of things in the oven, I mean on the exhaust manifold of the big CAT diesel in a Ford L8000 I drove for years.
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Post by blownb310 on Dec 5, 2012 22:23:17 GMT -5
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Post by blownb310 on Dec 8, 2012 9:43:39 GMT -5
Since my event there have been a few fellow northeasterners that have taken notice and would like to join us in the future. One of them lives in Middleburgh which is a gold mine for trails and unpaved roads. He knows where they are and is considering putting a run together like I did. Stay tuned for more details.
I too, will be looking for more roads/trails in the future. I am especially interested in steeper climbs as I want to exploit the 4WD feature of our cars more during future events. It's a balancing act to find just the right roads for our cars, smooth enough to stay damage free, yet challenging and fun. Of course snow will add a nice element of challenge, for roads that may not be challenging enough when dry.
I also know a few people who want to get in on the action and are looking for a 4WD car. I saw a Corolla All-Trac for sale on the side of a road in Canaan and will get info and pics tomorrow for them. This stuff is contagious.
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Post by blownb310 on Dec 16, 2012 16:20:17 GMT -5
'Tis the season for Northeast Compact 4WD Car Adventures and thanks to our newest member [and Civic RT4WD owner], it looks like outing #2 will be on Sunday December 30th.
Send me a PM for details if you'd like to join us.
As the song goes: "Let in snow, let it snow, let it snow!"
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Post by blownb310 on Dec 26, 2012 13:53:41 GMT -5
The meet is ON for Sunday. The route is snow covered and we are expecting more tonight. Perfect conditions to enjoy our 4WD compacts!
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