Ohhhh Man! Israel Canyon -> Soldier Pass Road *warning a little long winded*

My original plan was to go out and shoot some critters, got up early loaded up my guns, and I was off on an adventure. While driving through Saratoga Springs I saw a sign that said access to Israel canyon. To be honest I've never really taken my runner off pavement except for a few trips out to the desert to go shooting. I figured why the hell not, never been up this particular canyon.... I was about to learn a few things, I will list them out as I go. Photos where applicable

1. Not so much a lesson learned more of an affirmation- Utah is awesome
2. Gearing - While Israel Canyon Road starts fairly tame it gets steep towards the top, my runner bogged in 1st gear in 2wd, so I switched to 4hi made it a little further and it bogged again, I don't know if this is a problem with manual 3rd gens but it was a little frustrating, nevermind 4low to the rescue
I got to the top of the road, it takes you to the very top of the ridgeline overlooking Redwood road on the West side of Utah Lake, Utah Lake, Provo etc, awesome view at 7:00am



3.Camera phones a bit of a let down, pack a real camera



4. When google maps says "Road" a lot of the times it's just throwing the term around loosely - The "road quickly turned into a trail and deteriorated from there.
5. Pictures don't convey how steep some of this terrain is or how rough it is





This is where the lessons went from a trickle to a flood.

6. If your spare tire is underneath the vehicle make sure you have the tool to lower it - got a puncture, no tool
7. If you don't have the tool at least have a flat repair kit
8. A portable compressor is your friend
9. You should probably wheel with some friends instead of by yourself idiot

So when I noticed the leak I checked gps and figured I was closer to the end then the beginning

10. see number 9

The rocks got bigger and sharper, and the trail got steeper



11. re-read lessons 5 - 10
12. If your 4runner has 240,000 miles on it, check your suspension before you take it on a 3 hour drive on a trail, especially considering it is about 17 years old (96')
13. If you have never been on a trail before, chances are it won't only be an hour, triple it thats a good start

The trail got worse and I was asking things of my runner that it hasn't been asked to do in a while

14. Don't assume the previous owners maintained your vehicle, in fact assume they hated it, show it the love it deserves

And then I pushed it a little too far



Just after this photo I heard a snap, a crackle and a pop..... not good
a few minutes later there was a bang which leads me to my next few lessons

15. If you don't have much experience you probably should try and head out with the guys on the forum and they can show you the ropes
16. Be prepared (Not much for scouts, took this one for granted)
17. Skid plates are on there for a reason, if you take them off, put them back on before you do something stupid
18. Having a few trail spares is a good thing
19. If you have stuff in the back SECURE that crap
20. A rifle is not a good substitute for tools
21.Bullets are not a good substitute for zipties

So after all was said and done here is the damage....

Blew out 1 shock in the back
Drivers side front shock is pissing fluid all over the lower control arm
Both front and rear swaybars will either need new bushings or replaced altogether (especially the rear)
Steering rack is having issues, I think the inner tie rod on the passenger side has retired itself.

No visible damage to the cv joints, the boots are in 1 piece and there is no fluid anywhere

Just so you all know, no I wasn't driving it like I stole it.

Anyway spent the day assessing the damage and trying to decide what to do next, I tried the cheap route and went to autozone and bought some Gabriel Ultra rear shocks, and that made the front feel even worse, so I have a new plan but rather than clutter this section up, I'll just update my build thread.

Cool pics and report.  I'm assuming you got it back to your house ok?

Just remember, everybody learns somehow.  Sometimes it's the hard way and all at once.

Looks like you had a good time!

I have a used steering rack for sale if your interested. Worked great when I pulled it!

Definitely interested, how much?

Live and learn. Now you should upgrade your suspension though :DDon't worry, I always wheel alone because I don't know anyone who wheels as often as me or can follow me  

Looks like a sweet trail and sweet views!

Did you actually remove the bash plates or were you just saying they serve a purpose?

100%NewZealand wrote:Definitely interested, how much?

Shot me an offer! I have no idea what is worth. Mage me an offer I will look into what is worth.

snivilous wrote:Did you actually remove the bash plates or were you just saying they serve a purpose?

Yeah I took them off to change the oil and had them sand blasted to get some of the rust off of them, never got around to putting them back on

Thardy wrote:Shot me an offer! I have no idea what is worth. Mage me an offer I will look into what is worth.

A new one from http://www.toyotasteering.com/addtocart/1996_Toyota/4_Runner/Power_Steering_Rack/80-00697.html runs $345 I wouldn't even know where to start my offer, I'll just say $75 just as a starting point and you let me know where you want to go from there

Heres a few more pictures

Drivers side front shock





Passenger side rear



Going to start ordering parts this week, new lift next month (hopefully)

100%NewZealand wrote:

Thardy wrote:Shot me an offer! I have no idea what is worth. Mage me an offer I will look into what is worth.

A new one from http://www.toyotasteering.com/addtocart/1996_Toyota/4_Runner/Power_Steering_Rack/80-00697.html runs $345 I wouldn't even know where to start my offer, I'll just say $75 just as a starting point and you let me know where you want to go from there

I thought I responded to this already. Shoot me a text. I think $75 is fair. Tyson 8ol6l5394o