Influencer II
Off-Road Ranger I
It is SO MUCH FUN to have a build that you don't have to worry about being proper or pretty! Honestly it feels great to have myself a vehicle again just for bashing on & trying wacky ideas.
If you don't factor in labor time I am well south of $2k into a car that makes me grin like a doofus & starts all sorts of random conversations :)
Off-Road Ranger I
Traveler III
Off-Road Ranger I
The Rot Wagon survived the trip up to the Summer Sno*Drift rally race & thru some trail bashing! I didn't get much for high quality photos, but I have a ton of video that I've edited & will post shortly.
Trail conditions were fantastic! Just rained prior to the event so the dust was nicely settled.
This was the 1st chance I had to explore the Atlanta ORV routes, & they were very choppy near the trail heads. But deeper into the trail system they were great: Mostly sand, fast sweeping corners, medium width, with the odd rocky sections.
The rally cars had loads of traction & relatively smooth stages so they were flying!
Being a regional event meant the crowd was a bit thinner & the organizers were on point. Almost perfectly on time & the official spectator areas were well done.
The weather was good, warm & humid but sure is a welcome contrast to the usual deep snow & mirror ice that blankets the area during the winter Sno*Drift race.
Good times spectating & camping with good people! Caught up with several friends I hadn't seen since the last rally, & we cooked up some of the best food I've had in a while. A welcome break from home!
Trail conditions were fantastic! Just rained prior to the event so the dust was nicely settled.
This was the 1st chance I had to explore the Atlanta ORV routes, & they were very choppy near the trail heads. But deeper into the trail system they were great: Mostly sand, fast sweeping corners, medium width, with the odd rocky sections.
The rally cars had loads of traction & relatively smooth stages so they were flying!
Being a regional event meant the crowd was a bit thinner & the organizers were on point. Almost perfectly on time & the official spectator areas were well done.
The weather was good, warm & humid but sure is a welcome contrast to the usual deep snow & mirror ice that blankets the area during the winter Sno*Drift race.
Good times spectating & camping with good people! Caught up with several friends I hadn't seen since the last rally, & we cooked up some of the best food I've had in a while. A welcome break from home!
Traveler III
Off-Road Ranger I
The rally race & the offroading:
And maps of the ORV routes we traveled:
~ Atlanta North = https://www.midnr.com/publications/pdfs/forestslandwater/ORV/Maps-Trail/atlanta_trail_and_route_north.pdf
~ Atlanta South = https://www.midnr.com/publications/pdfs/forestslandwater/ORV/Maps-Trail/atlanta_trail_and_route_south.pdf
And maps of the ORV routes we traveled:
~ Atlanta North = https://www.midnr.com/publications/pdfs/forestslandwater/ORV/Maps-Trail/atlanta_trail_and_route_north.pdf
~ Atlanta South = https://www.midnr.com/publications/pdfs/forestslandwater/ORV/Maps-Trail/atlanta_trail_and_route_south.pdf
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Enthusiast III
Man, now I'm sad I didn't make it up to the rally, looks like you had a great time.
Rad Frankensubi, also. A friend of mine has one just like it (rusted all to hell and having apart). I'll have to show him your handiwork and see if I can convince him to Mad Max it up a bit.
Off-Road Ranger I
Good times for sure! We really lucked out having all that rain on either side of the race weekend. And nearly the whole field of rally cars made it thru to the end, only a few dropped for mechanical, so there was plenty of action for a smaller regional event.
Thanks, not having to care too much & try out wacky ideas has made it a surprisingly fun project
Enthusiast III
Off-Road Ranger I
Off-Road Ranger I
Off-Road Ranger I
Off-Road Ranger I
Yeah they look nuts on this little Subaru haha! Some run up to 31" tires but I'm not sure I'll get there for a while. I'm in a similar boat when it comes to taking the next step. Going to need some more serious suspension work to take the clearance further, really wouldn't want to add any further spacers. Proper CV angles are a concern for sure, & thankfully so far I've had only torn boots. I definitely don't want this to become one of those Subaru builds that ends up spitting out CV's every trail run!
Yeah I switched from 215/70-16’s to my 29’s and was like holly $hit there’s no way these will fit but all was good. I think my next step will just try to be a longer shock setup...can’t wait for more updates on your build mate. Dig it
Off-Road Ranger I
It's fun comparing the difference in how this thing's come along since spring:
I forgot to share my custom speedo, due in part to 5" taller tires + knowing my own driving habits:
I've started to make a habit of marking most all my nuts & bolts with a paint pen, so easy to visually check everything in just a few moments that nothing is falling off!
I tend to carry quite a few backup items in whatever vehicle I'm using, & here's a look at the kit that's typically wedged in back of the Rot Wagon: Small mobile toolkit, bottle-jack + jack-stand combo, collapsible lug wrench, hilift jack accessories, air compressor, tire repair kit, jumper cables, battery jump pack, retracting tow strap, snatch strap, shackles, spare front & rear CV, clam-shell CV boot kit, spare tie rod, spare alternator belt, reflective triangles, zip ties, towels + spill kit, all fluids in smaller containers, duct tape, cardboard for sliding underneath, gloves, bag of random nuts bolts hose-clamps wheel-nuts fuses bulbs hoses etc. (also up on top: shovel, hilift, maxx traxx, pulaski axe)
I forgot to share my custom speedo, due in part to 5" taller tires + knowing my own driving habits:
I've started to make a habit of marking most all my nuts & bolts with a paint pen, so easy to visually check everything in just a few moments that nothing is falling off!
I tend to carry quite a few backup items in whatever vehicle I'm using, & here's a look at the kit that's typically wedged in back of the Rot Wagon: Small mobile toolkit, bottle-jack + jack-stand combo, collapsible lug wrench, hilift jack accessories, air compressor, tire repair kit, jumper cables, battery jump pack, retracting tow strap, snatch strap, shackles, spare front & rear CV, clam-shell CV boot kit, spare tie rod, spare alternator belt, reflective triangles, zip ties, towels + spill kit, all fluids in smaller containers, duct tape, cardboard for sliding underneath, gloves, bag of random nuts bolts hose-clamps wheel-nuts fuses bulbs hoses etc. (also up on top: shovel, hilift, maxx traxx, pulaski axe)
Off-Road Ranger I
Maybe I need to stop pondering on ideas for unique mud-flaps & just make some already! First snow melt turns the dirt roads to slurry & a few days later it looks like I was stuck in a bog
