THis page is from the time I took my sons out 4x4ing(their first time). Needless to say, they found the slow moving of the trail not all that exciting except for the times when the truck started teatering or leaning way over, then it was COOL!!!!! Near the end of the trail, there was a fairly flat section that I goosed the truck and got it up to about 30 MPH. Well, needless to say, they thought I was doing 100 MPH. I laughed. Needless to say, they are now happy with the slower speeds of the trial. Only one bad thing happened during the ride(as you will see later), but, the nerfbar saved me from lots, and lots of damage. So, if you don't have nerf bars yet, I highly recommend them. They saved me, they can save you too.
This is what the Tahuya State Forest is like. Most of it isn't all that bad, but, there are parts where it makes people wonder just how you are going to make it. Unfortunately, the pictures(this one and the ones following) don't give the true perspective of what the trail is like. I have to tip my hat to the the two local groups(Quadrapaws and Rockcrawlers) for maintaining the trails.
This one just into the park. This was the first true obsticle that the boys were sure I wasn't going to get past. We'll, I did with little problem(barely touched the nerf bar!!!). From then on, they would only just sit back and watch as we hit some other stuff.
The boy on the back(right) is my youngest son, Micheal. Some of the hills made part of his body "tickle"(long story, family humor). This hill isn't much, but, it was enough to make him laugh. AH, gotta love boys.
Again, the one on the right is my youngest, the one just behind the truck is my oldest, Christopher. What amazed him was when he was standing back there, he was looking at the bumper. It still amazes him that the truck can do what it does. I just looked at him and smiled and said, "And it does a whole lot more".
This is another one of the many articulation points on the park. There isn't a lot of hard hill climbs(granted, some of them I bypassed after watching some highly modified trucks trying them and doing damage to their trucks, so, I don't have a chance in hell). There's something for everyone here. If you want a challenge, follow the red trail(danger Will Robinson, Danger, Danger!!). I stick with the orange trail. It pushes the truck as far as I care to go when I'm out there by myself(yes, I know, heard it many times over). But, I have done this trail many times, so, I know where my problems are and where they are not.
Well, forthe 2 hours that we spent 4x4ing, I only walked away with one "scratch". Needless to say, the wife isn't too pleased, but, I think I can straighten it out using a chain fall or something of that sort. We'll see. Just have to figure out what I am going to brace against the nerfbar to pull against. For those of you that don't have nerfbars. This picture should be worth about $1000 in body damage, but, instead, $125 for a nerf bar(worst case). Well worth the money. Here you can also see the color matched mud guards that I have (for those of you in WA state, you need something like this as the stone guards don't quite meet the states requirement of having something hang below the center point of the wheel. Just a little hint to prevent the cops from razzing you about one more thing when you get pulled over.)
This is a picture of my truck. From this photo, you can tell that I have painted the mirrors and the grill(personally, I think it looks better with the painted grill, but, that is just one mad man's idea). I have also added some GTS blackout lenses. Soon to come is sandblasting the bumper to get color matched to the rest of the truck and painting the washer spray nobs on the hood to blend them in with the rest of the truck.
Here's a photo of the back of my Expy. Needless to say, I have done some painting back here too. Let's see, wiper arm and support block, side posts, narrowed 3rd brake light, and key hole. I have also added some taillight covers which have been colormatched to the truck(nice addition to keep my truck looing different that everyone elses around town. I seem to be the leader in a lot of mods like this in town).
From this angle, you can see the vibrant green pin stripe that I added. Needless to say, the "vibrant" is an understatement. It definitely stands out. I am waiting until June 2000 to put a lift kit on the truck. I'm going to go with a 4" lift and 35 inch tires with some new rims. I'm just imagining what it is going to look like sitting 6 inches taller than it does now. R R R R R R R R!!!!! Maybe that will prevent me from doing some more damage to the nerf bar like what happened this time. Just may have to go and check it out.
Here's a shot of the side showing the bent nerf bar. I guess calling it a boomeranged nerf bar may be a slight exageration, but, it certainly isn't straight any more. Here's a good shot of the custom Ford emblem that I made for the side. It was part of the "original" set of taillight covers I got(you know the kind that are just a thin layer of plastic with double sided tape on the back). Well, needless to say, it was for Ford Trucks, but, for the F-150s with the smooth taillights, not the 3 bump Expy lights. So, with the help of a razor blade and my airbrush, they got modified into this. I think it is a nice addition. This is definitely something that no one else in the area will have. I have gotten a few comments about "where did you get that?" Well, now you guys know.
From this angle, you can see the Ford logo again and some of the detailing I have done including the tinted windows and painted rear pillar(I like the paint job on the Navigators, just can't see the price that they want for something that I am going to load up with rock in the back and 4x4 like I do and also the body moulding extras that they have). ALso notice the lack of stone guards(picture doesn't show it all that well). The truck looks much better with them off, especially with the color matching mud guards.
Here's a closeup of the Ford logo that I made. It is about 9 inches long by 3 inches high. Just something to be different.