Want to get back into wheeling.....

marcusicp

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Location
Tobaccoville
I had a blue 78 fullsize Chevy body on a 79 K5 frame that I use to wheel locally about 1.5 years ago. Well I parked it at my land away from my house and some one stole the stereo out of it about 10 months ago. Then about 4 months ago the wheels were stolen and all that was left is a useless 1/2 ton with a messed up rear diff and a poor shifting trans.... The cops were no help in finding out anything. Also, the leads that I got from friends were no good as well. To be honest it really put me off about building up a rig. I even had a good bit of parts bought for it(mog axles, propane kit, 468ci bbc, 42" irocks) I ended up selling the parts off and selling the rest of the truck.

So, here I am tonight at 2:00am looking around on here and missing my truck. I would love to get back into it and now that I have a cummins I could have a trail only rig. The only problem is I am still a little worried that if I get something worth a crap that thieves will strike again. I am also short on cash at the moment so my budget for a starter rig would be low. The only thing I can come up with is having a rig small enough that I can park it in my garage so that I can sleep at night.
With all that said, What kind of rig can I fit in a one car garage? And would something that small work at places like tellico and uwharrie?

Also, if anyone near tobaccoville/king area knows anything about my truck that got ripped off PLEASE let me know. The items that were stolen were: pioneer cd player/speakers/2- 10" subs and a soundstream amp along with 16-35/15 boggers on wide eagle alloy wheels(one tire had a slit in the side wall and one had a plug in the center of the tread). I will not relay anything that I am told. I just want some closer brought to this. Thanks for reading my long post, I needed to get all of that out there.
 
Sounds like your first order of business is to build a shelter for your vehicle.. ;) or MOVE.
 
sounds like a small, well built 'zuki would fit. Cheap to get into, and even built up alot, it should still fit in a garage.
 
Don't know if he still has it, but a buddy of mine that lives in King had a Sami that was semi built. It was parked for a while, so I really don't know what state it's in anymore, or if he even still has it. It was sitting on 33" Swampers, SOA and that's about all I recall of it. PM me if interested and I'll find out if he still has it.
 
I'd suggest a Samurai or Toyota pickup if you want something inexpensive to start out with and small enough to fit in a standard single car garage.

Join here for Samurai info: http://zuwharrie.com/
 
It seems that Samurais are hard to find in ok shape. I think that I would get one if I could find one in ok shape. Anything
I need to look for when looking at them? What should I expect to pay? Thanks!
 
If you like Chevy's, I've seen a white fullsize Blazer in Advance, NC for $1800. Could check again to see if it's still there if interested. I've only seen it, don't know anything about it.
T.J.
 
No doubt thieves will strike again. Gotta keep it locked up in a garage or something out of sight. Usually your thieves on something like that are local to the area so they can keep an eye out for goods to steal regularly.
 
JavaTee said:
If you like Chevy's, I've seen a white fullsize Blazer in Advance, NC for $1800. Could check again to see if it's still there if interested. I've only seen it, don't know anything about it.
T.J.
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I dont think I can fit a lifted fullsize in my one car garage. I do like a chevy but I need something small. Thanks for the heads up though.
 
marcusicp said:
It seems that Samurais are hard to find in ok shape. I think that I would get one if I could find one in ok shape. Anything
I need to look for when looking at them? What should I expect to pay? Thanks!
Click to expand...
As with all things 4x4 the $$ depends on whats in it. I just picked up a sammie with a 1.6 tracker engin and SOA. Body was in good shape, runs good, pretty much everything worked on it. Paid about 1k. More than I was intending to but it came with an extra trans and various other bonus parts. Your best bet is to look at the swap meet here, craigslist or http://bbs.zuwharrie.com/. And yes they can handle Tellico or anything else depending on the build.
 
I am 6'2" also, but only 185 lbs. I fit fine in a Samurai. I bought my stock Sami with a rebuilt motor about 2.5 yrs ago for $800. I found it in the for sale section on Zuwharrie. I know a guy who has one with a bad motor for $500. It has some AT 235's on it in good shape. Pm me if interested.
 
what kind of lift and tire size would I need with a sammy in order to do tellico and uwharrie? Are the easy to get parts for? easy to work on? How big of a tire can I run on the stock axles befor I need to upgrade? I am really thing I may need a sammy!
 
Most guys swap out the axles for toyotas and then about the biggest tire you need is a 31-33. It certainly makes it cheaper with such small tires.
 
marcusicp said:
what kind of lift and tire size would I need with a sammy in order to do tellico and uwharrie? Are the easy to get parts for? easy to work on? How big of a tire can I run on the stock axles befor I need to upgrade? I am really thing I may need a sammy!
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I have only wheeled mine stock, and that has been at Uwharrie and in my back yard. Never took it anywhere else. I went up Daniel with it bone stock on 215 street radials opening weekend this year so that should give you an idea of their capability. The two most common 'lifts' for Sami's are putting the springs over the axles, and/or using Jeep YJ springs. The fenders can easily be cut for more clearance as well to keep it low with larger tires. Parts are very easy to get as there are several suppliers of aftermarket parts for upgrades and used parts are generally plentiful. I have found mine very easy to work on. 33" tires is the most generally agreed upon max tire size for stock axles. That being said, I have read about people breaking axles with smaller, and seen Sami's on 38's riding around Uwharrie, so it depends on your driving style and if the axles are locked. Most people upgrade to Toyota axles when they go with tires larger than 33s.

If I was in your shoes, I would check out Cperry's truck. That is a heck of a deal on a very capable truck.
 
I just picked up a sammy! It has toy axles on 33" MTRs, 1.6 16v efi, and a lot of other stuff. I may be selling the roof rack off of it soon so I can have a little more clearance in my garage for some 35" later. I might also get rid of the rear tire carrier on the bumper to free up some space as well. I'm so exited about this thing! Now I just need a trailer to get it down to Uwharrie. Thanks for the help in picking out a new rig!
 
marcusicp said:
I just picked up a sammy! It has toy axles on 33" MTRs, 1.6 16v efi, and a lot of other stuff. I may be selling the roof rack off of it soon so I can have a little more clearance in my garage for some 35" later. I might also get rid of the rear tire carrier on the bumper to free up some space as well. I'm so exited about this thing! Now I just need a trailer to get it down to Uwharrie. Thanks for the help in picking out a new rig!
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Congrats, sounds like a good score on a ready to wheel rig. Post up some pics when you can.

<><Fish
 
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