I unintentionally tried to run over a stump yesterday. It was while I was reversing out of where I was parked in the woods in the morning after camping. The stupid stump was nicely camo-ed with the ground, and it was too short to see from the driver's seat anyway. 


Pretty good for 5 mph, eh?


Here's the other side for comparison.

That sucks. It was such a pretty truck! Not like the Jetta; it was already fugly, so I don't feel so bad when I dent the rockers, crack the rear bumper, scrape the seam welds down to nothing, and coat the entire undercarriage in goopy mud. It's just the mechanical stuff that actually matters at this point.

Battle scars! I hope the door still shuts properly?

Yeah, it all works right.

I don't mind the scar, really, but it would have been better if it had been a better bump, and not some stump that I hit in reverse.

The embarrasing ones always suck.   :-)

The ONLY times I got my 79 Subaru stuck (and mind you, we did some SERIOUS THRASHING to that car- In Wyoming Snow, Mud, Dirt, etc...) were:

-up the "butte" in spring Rock Springs Wyoming- past a few 4x4 pickups that had ben abandoned- we finally were stuck while doing a "shortcut" up the switchbacks and the snow/mud were up to the windows.

-in the parking lot at the grocery store[/i]. I was doing donuts and my sister in the backseat screamed all of a sudden, so I slammed on the brakes and looked back- and slid up onto a big crusty patch of plowed snow.
All 4 tires were off the ground. Dad tried to pull me off with his car but we ended up calling a wrecker- who just tied some chains to the car, got a running start, and yanked it off the 'drift'...

:-|

I was once nearly stuck in my parents' cement driveway when one wheel of their 2WD S-10 was on the wet muddy grass. That was lame.

Quote from: Psilos on July 07, 2008, 06:22:04 PM
I was once nearly stuck in my parents' cement driveway when one wheel of their 2WD S-10 was on the wet muddy grass. That was lame.

2wd pickups should be illegal because they're so lame. Limited slip diffs should be mandatory.

Quote from: NACar on July 07, 2008, 06:24:04 PM

2wd pickups should be illegal because they're so lame. Limited slip diffs should be mandatory.

I used to do 3rd gear clutch dumps to get out of my parking spot in the winter.

Quote from: 280Z Turbo on July 07, 2008, 06:49:41 PM
I used to do 3rd gear clutch dumps to get out of my parking spot in the winter.

What should I have done when trying to get up a long, steep gravel hill with no room for a running start? I tried that B2300 three times, and once got it into 2nd gear, but each time it would slow to a stop with the wheels spinning and the axle hopping. The Jet goes up fine just fine.

Get some friends to push you.

Sometimes you just get stuck up even the most tiny hills when you drive a 2WD truck with all seasons.

Quote from: NACar on July 07, 2008, 07:01:17 PM
What should I have done when trying to get up a long, steep gravel hill with no room for a running start? I tried that B2300 three times, and once got it into 2nd gear, but each time it would slow to a stop with the wheels spinning and the axle hopping. The Jet goes up fine just fine.

Throw a TON of weight in the back.

-OH and wouldn't a limited slip on a RWD vehicle just make it spin out easier?  I mean, on a FWD it TOTALLY helps to not spin a wheel when doing sharp cornering under power, but RWD??

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on July 07, 2008, 07:18:27 PM
Throw a TON of weight in the back.

-OH and wouldn't a limited slip on a RWD vehicle just make it spin out easier?  I mean, on a FWD it TOTALLY helps to not spin a wheel when doing sharp cornering under power, but RWD??

It's better to have both wheels spinning than just one.

Quote from: 280Z Turbo on July 07, 2008, 07:05:47 PM
Get some friends to push you.

Sometimes you just get stuck up even the most tiny hills when you drive a 2WD truck with all seasons.

I was all alone in the wilderness, trying to get to a wild blueberry field, but I failed. I just skipped it and went back the next day when I had the Jet.

Quote from: NACar on July 07, 2008, 06:24:04 PM

2wd pickups should be illegal because they're so lame. Limited slip diffs should be mandatory.

I agree. Too bad you pay an extra thousand or two fro 4WD...

Quote from: Psilos on July 07, 2008, 07:48:22 PM
I agree. Too bad you pay an extra thousand or two fro 4WD...

Is it impossible to get a stripped down 4wd model these days? Does anyone make a 4cyl 4wd pickup anymore? I'd take a 4wd 4cyl Ranger. I tried to trade my Jetta for one on two separate occasions, but it didn't work out.

Quote from: NACar on July 07, 2008, 07:50:52 PM
Is it impossible to get a stripped down 4wd model these days? Does anyone make a 4cyl 4wd pickup anymore? I'd take a 4wd 4cyl Ranger. I tried to trade my Jetta for one on two separate occasions, but it didn't work out.

They don't make that. I don't know if they've ever made that.

Quote from: 280Z Turbo on July 07, 2008, 08:00:00 PM
They don't make that. I don't know if they've ever made that.

Hell yes they used to made it. I seen it! And I want it!

No matter the engine, the 4WD Rangers I've seen are all either in crappy shape or expensive and loaded with too many options. It's poopy.

Quote from: Psilos on July 07, 2008, 08:09:57 PM
No matter the engine, the 4WD Rangers I've seen are all either in crappy shape or expensive and loaded with too many options. It's poopy.

That appears to be the case.

Quote from: Psilos on July 07, 2008, 08:09:57 PM
No matter the engine, the 4WD Rangers I've seen are all either in crappy shape or expensive and loaded with too many options. It's poopy.

I just checked and you can option a Ranger up to $28,000 if you want to.

They hold their value quite well too.

All I ask is the same truck with another inch of clearance, and 4WD. Is that so hard?

Oh, wait... I could do that...

Quote from: 280Z Turbo on July 07, 2008, 08:16:39 PM
I just checked and you can option a Ranger up to $28,000 if you want to.

They hold their value quite well too.

Crazy, isn't it? It's a solid truck, but it's still a bit of a POS.

Rangers are cool because they're new old. But they're not $20,000 cool, and certainly not $28,000 cool.
It should be $14,000 for a 4cyl 4wd with A/C.

Quote from: Psilos on July 07, 2008, 08:19:52 PM
Crazy, isn't it? It's a solid truck, but it's still a bit of a POS.

Not really a POS, just outdated.

The 2002+ Duratec 4 cylinder is a great truck, IMO. It's an old light weight body with a modern DOHC engine.

The 3.0L is a joke (I think it makes 11 more hp than the 4 cylinder with several fewer MPGs) and the 4.0L is a gas hog.

Quote from: 280Z Turbo on July 07, 2008, 08:30:16 PM
Not really a POS, just outdated.

The 2002+ Duratec 4 cylinder is a great truck, IMO. It's an old light weight body with a modern DOHC engine.

The 3.0L is a joke (I think it makes 11 more hp than the 4 cylinder with several fewer MPGs) and the 4.0L is a gas hog.

Apparenlty, you can't order a 4cyl with a limited slip. You have to get the 3.0 

Maybe we should convert some. I bet people would buy them...

Quote from: NACar on July 07, 2008, 08:24:39 PM
Rangers are cool because they're new old. But they're not $20,000 cool, and certainly not $28,000 cool.
It should be $14,000 for a 4cyl 4wd with A/C.

Well, with the A/C on, there'd be no power, as opposed to gerbil power... But I'd theoretically pay $14,000 for a stripper 4 cyl 4WD truck. The long bed (so's I can sleep in the back) would be the only thing I'd want. I can put a good stereo in myself.

Quote from: Psilos on July 07, 2008, 08:43:33 PM
Maybe we should convert some. I bet people would buy them...

If I bought a 2wd 4cyl Ranger, which I may very well do if the Jetta shits the bed, I will definately get one of THESE as my first modification.

I'd want the tach in the dash, too, if that's not standard yet...

I should get one...