dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Wow Mark--I have been towing a ton of different trailers over the last 30+ years...I haven't seen that style for at least 20 years

aviator

Happy belated birthday Mark... hope you and yours had a great day.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

I have a recipe for everything... Even proverbial gremlins! Lol...

Right on! I would love to see you again man! We can hang out, get our grub on and do some wheeling!( and I can live vicariously through you as you ty some sheets together! Lol...)

Thanks alot, Richard,....and as for Julio: Sounds great! Should be fun!

Right on, Brandon, thanks!

Giggidy-giggidy- gobble! Lol... Thanx!

Wooot! Lol.... Grateful, Will! You take care man, and my best to ya for Christmas, etcà hope you had a great Thanksgiving as well!

Hahahahaha, ... .glad you made it up there safely and apparently had a great time. Sorry about that probable hangover, there after! Lol. Thanks a lot man!

I appreciate it, my friend! (And as for the doing a "master post".... I'm sad I've kept putting it off.... I just never have time, and every time I think about doing it, I realize it would take me weeks...Even longer as more mods are added on.... .....)

Hmmmm, well, there ya go, probably installed at the dealer for the PO/Orig. Owner...

Thanks, buddy! It was absolutely great!

aviator

2014 calendar has been released... check the announcements section for details.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Hey guys! Well, I'm back from AZ, and WOW, what a tiring but AWESOME time I had, visiting with the family!

I believe it was the day or two before leaving for AZ, my Aunt and Uncle Carole and Jack, Cousin Holly and her kiddos.... and Mom, all took me out to El Pollo Inka, a Peruvian restaurant near me.... GREAT time....





FLAN? WHAT FLAN? ..... :shhh: hehehe.... "Daddy, why don't we have flan????"(lil trivia for the day! haha)....



Before leaving, I HAD to swap out my already rusting Grade8 Allen bolts for the roof rack... They were grabbed in a hurry for an emergency solution before Big Bear.... TOTALLY rusting out already! So used these....


I cooked for everyone, so I brought my turkey fryer, peanut oil, hot water bath chafing dishes.... 6 courses, etc. Was loaded SO heavy.... DAYUMMMM! lol....

Driving out with mom(and back) is SO much fun. Just the best co-pilot in the world! This time, we finished off the Stephen King story on audio, "Doctor Sleep".... Based on the boy in the Shining. AWESOME book! Will Patton narrated it beautifully! Can't wait for the film, if they ever do one!

Loaded up and airing up the tires....



Stopped for Gas.... WOW, OUCHIE! hahahaha....



Got on the road, and WOW, what a beautiful day! ......



The infamous 15 hwy, which has eaten many cars and trucks along this portion of the pass.... LONG steep incline.... HEY, LOOK AT THOSE ROCKS, ...hmmm, I wonder.... hehe.... (lil weigh station I hit many times when I drove a 40' for a while back in the 90's...... Thought of Jason right off! haha... OH, and also saw the tire marks on the center divider.... LOTS hit that wall.... going uphill! WTH? haha...) ...





Choooo-chooo! haha.... LOVE trains, to this day! (uncle was president of Sante Fe Railroad Union for YEARS... Used to take me on some cool rides!)...



And of course, the dreaded "Straight as an arrow line into hell for 200 miles, .....the 40 HIGHWAY!" ......









Mom started taking some pics for me as well.....









Half way!!! hahaha...







Trippy last shadows of the day.... MONSTER TRUCK! haha...



NASTY incline at Needle Peak....



Soooo beautiful, dat momma! lol.... Not bad for 80, especially after all she's been through! .....



My Fav treats on the road! SEES POPS! lol....



Checked in, had a nice dinner with pops, got some sleep and went out to check out the lake in the AM....



Went out that night and had a really nice prime rib and french onion soup at Krystal's Steak and Seafood in Lake Havasu..... GREAT BREAD, OH MAN! hahaha...

My mom and Sissie.... two of my favorite ladies in the world! .....



Sis and Pops, .......



Me and Pops, .....DANG I already miss him big time! ...



Me and my beautiful niece, Emilee! .....



Said goodnight, then dropped Pops and Momma Sue off at their house, then headed home to prep the Turkey with the injection of around 10 things....



Blended and strained it, and then I injected the young bugger! haha...




Hit pops house for Thanksgiving, and guys, what a beautiful dinner! No pics of it really... I was too busy, then had to FINALLY eat, then LAY DOWN AND GROAN! haha.... But what a wonderful time with family. Hung out with both my stepbrothers, my Nephew and Nieces, My Mom, Dad, Sis and Brother in-law... Just a GREAT day, and I'm SO THANKFUL that we're all still around and were able to all get out and give this much needed attention to my father! (He's not great, ... but he's hanging in there! This kinda visit just does so much for him, for months, according to my Stepmomma, Susie)....





Mom sneaking her WAY TOO MANY servings of my Brie and Boysenberry, and in this case, Red Jalepeno Jam on Cabaret's! hahaha... (I would say, "Mom, c'mon now, ....gotta watch that stuff."... She'd say, "Yep, you're right", ....and I'd turn my back, then turn around from the kitchen, 2 minutes later,...and 'BUSTED!' hahaha... Meh, it's Thanksgiving.... Gotta be careful no matter the holiday, when things can lead to drama for our health issues... BUT, I just loved seeing her enjoy herself so much! hahaha.... )....



Me and Momma-SusieQ....



Me and the Bro's...



Mom sang my Brother Chuck and his wife as song... They requested, as they remember how beautifully she sang, professionally.... She was just practicing here... My phone died right when she sang for them... GRRR! But, it was cute watching her practice on my Brother Rob's Karaoke Program/Youtube....


Went back to the Dunes Resort, took in some time by the lake and then headed in to watch mom's favorite Movie, on every year on I believe TCM.... GONE WITH THE WIND! haha... She LOVES it, and that makes me happy.... Beautiful night that night....



Got up early and had some Ihop! haha... Spinach and Mushroom Omlette, not bad...


Next, we hit the Dog Park on the Lake,

Mom, crossing the London Bridge in Ruby Redrum! haha..



....and "Puppy", one of my Sisters Dogs, was checkin out the pups.... Look at this spring break GAWKING!!! HAHAHA........



Got some family shots, etc... GREAT DAY, AGAIN! ..... think I got some good family pics! They were annoyed... but WHY? lol... Took like 2 minutes total of 2 hours of their time... dang people! hahaha... Jk, they were ok sports about it. I just realize, having seen illness and so forth, to such an extreme.... Well, you need to savor and immortalize these kinda moments as often as you can! Yep, GREAT DAY! ....



Nephew Steven and his Grammie, My Mom... GREAT PIC!



























3 of my Favorite pics I've had in a longggg time!!! .....







And as quickly as we gassed up to go, it seemed.... We had to leave. I am so thankful for such a wonderful family....Quirks abound, like all of em, they're still is no other family I'd rather have! GREAT parents, siblings and all the rest... I just feel so blessed to have wound up in this one... Especially while so many I've known grow up or are in, this very moment, pretty much a living hell, with theirs.

I hit In'N'Out, Lake Havasu, then headed home, listening to the second book in a series I love, "The Prey" Series, from John Sanford.... The second one I'm on, "Shadow Prey", is ALREADY blowing me away. LOVE his writing... And this Narrator is growing on me, as well. (I love to read, I just haven't had much time to sit down and do so... So this REALLY is something I'm loving!)... The first book, which I read, "Rules of Prey", ....WOW, just an INCREDIBLE Murder Mystery/Thriller... Serial Killer type stuff, based on his studies into cases in Minnesota....

Anywhoooo, I also wanted to mention that I'm thankful for all the good people I've met on here, even become good friends with. It's really helped me over the last few years, having this site and having y'all! Caregiving and working so much... it's tough, and it doesn't leave much time for a social life. Being sober, it doesn't leave much open for me, either, in the way of people I've met through the Job. So, again, thanks for hanging out here, and thanks for all the kind words and ESPECIALLY input, without which I might not have wound up with a truck I love so much, nor the knowledge that I've gleaned from everyone/reading, etc.

Couple pics on the way home....

It rained in L.A. County and surrounding while we were gone.... No snow on these mountains as we came up... But, 5 days later? .....



Beautiful Paintings in the sky, I really enjoyed on the way back on the 15 in Bumper to bumper for 25 miles! haha! ....



The next night, my sis asked me to take my niece to the Vet with her Pet Chameleon, Pickles... This was the view from that Vet...

Cyberhorn The Dragon

looks awesome all round mark! excellent pictures

92 TOY

HO LEE POOP!!!

snuck a peek at the calendar and could not believe me eyes when I saw your 4runner. that thing is a magnificent monster!!!

hope things are going well for you and all.

things are stable here:
truck=dead....probably head gasket
Joe's 4runner=runs like a top (thank goodness)
wife's 4runner=sold for a brand new car (KIA OPTIMA) which got mostly wrecked / but not totalled at 2 months
Joe's BMW=runs well

life is enormously hectic and apparently promises to stay that way for a while longer.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!11

aviator

Looks like you had a great trip Mark glad to hear you had fun...
What was up with Pickles?

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Thanks Will! It was awesome... I didn't get to wheel, no just one time, but it didn't diminish the trip at all. In fact, on this particular trip being Thanksgiving and all, it was best that it worked out that way. I forgot to mention and didn't get any pictures, but a few days before we arrived, my dads 60 pound russian tortoise bit the dust on a cold night where his lamp failed or something of the sort. The day after we got there, my nephew and brother headed down to Phoenix and picked up a hundred pound desert tortoise! The thing is huge! The day after Thanksgiving, they spent half the day and into the evening building a house for it out of plywood. It came out really well and with the heat lamp ports, it should keep it nice and warm for the winter. I will try to get a picture from my nephew to show you how big this freaking thing is. My dad had that tortoise for a few years and he was pretty upset that passed away... This thing is a dynamo and runs over everything... I hope it doesn't cause him to fall or something.

Wow! I'm sure you already know how I feel about everything else, sorry about the drama and glad for the good things... Hope that one day you can get in a rhythm that will bring you a little more joy and a lot less stress... But, until then, I'm glad that you're all healthy! Really good to hear from you, Jerry! Long time no hear, have a great Christmas!

It was an awesome trip! Thanks!

Pickles has been acting weird for quite a while I'm closing his eyes. The exotic vet said in captivity they don't live much past two years, & I told pickle is at the point we are now. He's very lethargic and she said that with the eyes and the fact that he's skin and bones, he's definitely got something going on internally. My niece thought that was just his eyes causing it... But he wouldn't eat and was spitting up everything they tried to feed him. She's an animal lover and always picks something a bit out there... For Christmas she is asking for jellyfish. Hahaha... Her mom said no way, and considering how much work that would be, I'm not sure my niece wants to go there. I hope the antibiotics they gave pickles work, but I guess as I feel with any animal, or creature, I hope it doesn't have to suffer a long time if it's going to pass on at this point.

AZkid

Nice pics boss! Looks like you had good trip!

84 yota dude

Really cool pics as well. Those sunset pictures are amazing!
How does the rig do on long hauls? What are the mpgs like, around 20? Also going up those steep grades did you have to downshift to 3 or could you hold it in 4th?

Thanks

Ps. that's so cool how your mom rides in your awesome runner

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Sure did bud. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving!

Thanks man! On long halls it does good (I guess "good" is a really relative term), but mileage? Eeeek, not so much anymore. I definitely have some issues going on, but last two times, doing the 40hwy out to AZ from L.A., I was Very loaded down, and pretty bad headwinds. First trip was worse, and I had to hit 3rd gear a few times. .. This time, I did have to on the 15hwy heading up through the nasty portion maybe once to get up it at a safe speed... But the rest of the way, through the mountains in the 40hwy, etc, she did just fine in 4th. I got it up to 92mph on the speedo and gps... Before, loaded, on 32's and 4.30 gears, I could do 4th, at the lowest, all the way, then mostly 5th. 95mph or so, max.... and up to 22mpg.(I am almist 6" taller now/plus a roof rack with a 35 on it.... That could hurt some I guess). Average before was from 14 city at worst to 20 or so highway. As I said, this trip is not like heading through Kansas flatlands, its very steep and windy much of the way. ... But, still, I'm really hurting at around 10 city and 16 hwy max (I have a feeling that I'd I stay or of the pedal and settle on 65, I could get 18 or so)....

This is why, instead of spending a few more full days going through every component to find my rough idle (which is now worse since swapping in the new updated OEM CSI TIME Switch and updated/used tttswitch in the stat housing I got from a member on here)... , I really would rather start my swap, sooner than later.

Sorry, more info than needed. .. but it's a bit frustrating, considering the prices of gas! Lol

BeardedFish

Man do I love the look of your rig! Happy Birthday too btw!

84 yota dude

No, don't worry I totally get it. Still, 92mph is pretty dang fast. As far as the swap goes, are you still trying to determine what type of engine; a 3rz or a 3.4?

bbrideau

MAN O MAN next year im skippin the border and hiding in your truck for turkey dinner! glad you had fun. Momsie looks great for being 80! How warm was it down there? it is -30 C (-22 F i think) and looking at those pictures warmed me up!

aviator

Hey Chef if you want to have a little fun with your sis here's a christmas gift idea for your niece... get a fish shaped cake mold and make some jell-o in it and bring it over for a desert tell them ahead of time you got her the jellyfish... lol...

but seriously IK what it is like when a pet approaches the end of it's life and it is hard to go through... with the not eating etc. it sounds like Pickles will soon be "free"...

honestly the silly season is not the time to think of new pets but when it is time encourage her to visit the pound/animal shelter/rescue groups there are far too many good pets in need of a forever home in those places...

RAD4Runner

Lovely pics and time with the family, Mark!

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

Looks like you had a great time and some great pics. Family time doesnt last long, seems like it takes forever to get here and then it is over in a flash. Next holiday season will be here befroe you know it. I40 is a straight drive, I think I could drive it blindfolded.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Right on buddy! Glad you like it! And thank you very much for the birthday wishes!

I'm really silly, I suppose, or not going directly to the 3RZ-SC'd .... But I would so much rather have the huge throaty power of a 1UZ... I haven't only dismissed the 3.4, but it is apparently plaza bit more work then the 2.7, and is it much easier swap for people that already have the 3.0. Plus, I figure if I'm going to go with a bit of a shoehorn fit on the 3.4, I might as well go for the 4.0! Lots of info on all three. I've looked into the 1jz & 2JZ, but they are very long and seem to be having their own fairly dramatic fitment issues. I would really love more than anything to have I'm extremely efficient turbo diesel... But that seems to be extremely pricey if you go the Toyota route, and the Mercedes route, while apparently dependable and not too difficult, its just not as appealing as the first three that I mentioned. I have recently seen Instagram posts: from a guy doing A WRX motor swap. Also, there have been quite a few VW 1.9 TDI swaps now... Amazing how much power that little thing puts out, and how much better mileage is on top of it! Lol. Right now I am simply looking into it... I have a lot on my plate as far as life circumstances, so I have to be very sure that I'm ready. Not to mention, I will likely be grabbing an entire vehicle for this, so I'd have to go quickly in order to get the donor vehicle out of here post haste! I think as far as what I want, the one you Z or another v8 gets my motor going so to speak more than anything. I just have to acknowledge it is quite a bit more work than getting the 2.7 in.

Haha, well there ya go! Hop on over... Thanks on Mom looks great! And it was pretty chilly at night, but it's actually been cooler here the last couple of nights. Coastal chills can be pretty chilly. Obviously nothing like the GWN though! Lol.

Thanks Ray, it was so nice!

I did, Terry! Awesome time! Those candid pics are my fav.... Brought a tear to my sisters eyes.

The i40 is fine for me, in all honesty. I listened to Audio Version of Doctor Sleep and then Shadow Prey on the way back... Along with having my favorite cup island in the world next to me, the miles just fly by. There are tons of awesome places along the 40 to stop and sightsee, along with great shops and of course, tons of places to wheel that no one really thinks about. Hot Springs too! The I10 has a bit more to do and see but I prefer not to risk getting caught in more traffic or road work.

RAD4Runner

I don't much about swaps but while looking for a toyota specialist to rebuild my 22RE, auto enthusiasts at work jokingly told me not to let Master Tech Mike Carwin talk me into a 2JZ swap





I believe this video is of his supra:
[YOUTUBE] [/YOUTUBE]