BajaNomad - Jeeps vs. Toyotas on Basketball Hill

Jeeps vs. Toyotas on Basketball Hill

Ken Cooke - 11-27-2004 at 07:56 PM

It's gonna be interesting. The Rubicon Owners of CA are returning to Baja in 3 weeks - tackling some mighty challenges along the Pole Line Road. My friend Michael just purchased an entire rearend for his Jeep - specially for this trip! He'll now have a Detroit Locker along with high count splined Cromolly Alloy Axle Shafts! This Jeep is gonna own Basketball Hill! I'm gonna admit - the Toyotas will cross the Laguna Salada fastest - unless there's mud, and then, our winches will pull the Toys out of that muck the fastest... :rolleyes:

Seriously, Its gonna be a blast - I can't even wait...Who even cares about Christmas! :cool:

Rubicon Owners of CA official Baja Link:
Rubicon Owners of CA in Baja - Dec 18-22

-Ken

bajalou - 11-27-2004 at 08:17 PM

Sounds like a great run - wish I was there

:biggrin:

Ken Cooke - 11-27-2004 at 08:21 PM

Our last day will be spent in San Felipe, drinking down Pacificos and eating up all of the Lobster and Shrimp in town.

-Ken

woody with a view - 11-27-2004 at 08:35 PM

hope your trip is as great as the anticipation! i'm going through a similar situation :spingrin:

TMW - 11-28-2004 at 12:40 PM

I think the way to test the metal of a jeep would be to take a ride up or down (either way) over the summit, south summit and El Mono. I know of one Toyota thats done it.

Ken Cooke - 11-28-2004 at 08:42 PM

In march, our club did El Mano I believe. It was paved partially in concrete before dipping into a canyon. :?:

Then, there are several boulders in the trail before it dead ended?? That's what we did. David K led us down this trail that turned downright nasty. But, one of our club members has a Rubicon-Express lifted Rubicon w/35" MT/Rs and made easy work of the largest boulders down there. I high-centered on my front u-joint/differential and had to stack plenty of rocks to get up and over - I have 33" tars! It was so much fun, that we're gonna do it again!

-Ken

David K - 11-28-2004 at 11:26 PM

Oh Ken, please... I am so happy you are loving your Jeep Wrangler Rubicon... BUT, talk nice about the Japanese rigs that go along with you guys... because YOU know we have our own story to tell! HA!!!

I am planning to go. But, not to show you how to climb basketball hill with my Tacoma (so named for the size of the rocks on the road). Instead to see the remains of the cobblestone paved road that followed the WWII telegraph line America installed to communicate with our radar base in San Felipe (watching for Jap subs and invading ships heading for Yuma)!

Ken Cooke - 11-29-2004 at 04:45 PM

David,

How about videotaping the various vehicles traveling up Basketball Hill for the website? :yes:

That will be a blast. Either way, it'll be a rich experience for all of us Taco & Rubi drivers! Oh, I can't wait! :lol:

-Ken

TMW - 11-29-2004 at 06:59 PM

Excellent piece by Neal Johns in the Discover Baja newsletter on your jeep website. I must have missed it when it came out. Some friends and I rode that route on motorcycles a couple of times in the early 90s. As I remember the route we took near the water fall was a cow trail up the hill to the left not to the right as Neal did. Over the hill we went into a second wash where we had to carry the bikes a short ways then onto another short road and over rocks into the main wash.

I never saw where I thought a truck could get through that section, but we never spent much time exploring the area to see.

Neal Johns - 11-29-2004 at 07:36 PM

TW, I think that was a Jeep road once, but for the last 20 years it is just good for bikes. I hiked it and said no way for my Land Cruiser! Much too sidehilly. :no:

The Pole Line (and road) bypassed this problem on the right a couple of miles before the Junction.

Pole Line Road

The squarecircle - 11-29-2004 at 07:40 PM

Greetings TW & Ken Cooke, My Bronco II (first year for the toy bronc) went up Basketball Hill in 2 Wheel drive Some 20 yrs ago when it was really hard. From the pictures, it looks pretty smooth now. Same vehicle did cow trail and the middle Sumit. Sumit was done at night up and back down. Yea Ford! Toyotas are even better! Now --Can I go on your tour? -sq.-

TMW - 11-30-2004 at 08:56 AM

Sq. You are always welcome. Just don't forget the beer. Speaking of the summit. I rode a Honda CT110 trail bike up and over it going east to west (reverse direction) and I thought it was much easier. I couldn't understand why Score wouldn't race that way. During races I always thought the hardest part of the summit was that long rocky uphill about 1/2 mile from the cattle guard where it started. There always seemed to be a lot of big rocks in my way.

Ken Cooke - 12-2-2004 at 07:41 PM

Just 2 more weeks until the fun...

As always, I am having vehicle problems - my Rubicon is in the shop having a diagnostic job at the moment. The 'CHeck Engine' light keeps coming on. I also hope to get a rear tire carrier in place for this trip.

BRING LOTS OF FIREWOOD! WE'RE GONNA NEED IT!!! :fire:

-Ken

David K - 12-2-2004 at 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Cooke
Just 2 more weeks until the fun...

As always, I am having vehicle problems - my Rubicon is in the shop having a diagnostic job at the moment. The 'CHeck Engine' light keeps coming on.

-Ken

First a Ford, now a Jeep... When will you listen to Neal Johns (like I did), and get a Toyota??? 114,000 miles on my 2001 and it is still awesome!!!

Ken Cooke - 12-2-2004 at 10:11 PM

Suzanne's planning on selling the Wrangler YJ and buying a Liberty. The trouble with Toyotas is they're so durned expensive!

-Ken

AMEN TO THAT BROTHER STEPHEN!

David K - 12-3-2004 at 12:25 AM

Ken, how cheap was it owning that last American made rig? What fun was it breaking down at 8,000 feet in the San Pedro Martir? Yes, that did get mentioned in Graham's 3rd book, as he was up there with his dogs then. But, was it worth all you guys went through to get mentioned?

How cheap is it to worry that your brand new American rig is already in the shop, 2 weeks before the next event.

Well, like I said, I just took Neal Johns advice and noted most of the Baja Amigos were driving Tacomas and nobody complained...

Ken Cooke - 12-3-2004 at 05:51 PM

David,

Sorry, but I cannot justify spending 2X the amount on a vehicle when:

1) We don't have the money
2) Suzanne grew up in Michigan and remembers when Chevy pulled out of Flint, MI.
3) The price of 2 brand new Libertys w/similar warranty equals the price of 1 USED 4Runner with 35,000 miles on it!!!

As for my Rubicon - it had a faulty gas cap that set off the 'check engine' light. Dealership work covered under warranty - as would be the 4:1 ROC Trac transfer case, dual electric lockers, front/rear disc brakes, 4.10 diffs, etc...

Suzanne is gonna buy her American Libby - the dealership is 1 block away from our house, we'll get free oil changes and diagnostics for the first 36,000 mi. and she'll know she didn't contribute to our warped U.S. Trade Deficit

-Ken

[Edited on 12-4-2004 by Ken Cooke]

Ken Cooke - 12-4-2004 at 03:58 PM

New departure time & additional info has been added to the Pole Line Road link:

Read it, or get left behind!
Official Pole Line Baja 4WD Trip

-Ken

4baja - 12-7-2004 at 07:08 AM

ken, alot of these toys are made in the good ol USA by americans. alot of the problems that US manufactures had in the early days was they built pure junk and alot of peaple went to jap vehicals. i for one one own a 2001 toyota tacoma built and a new tundra. with 90,000 miles on it the only problem i have every had was that the cd player stopped working from all the dust and vibration from those dusty baja dirt roads. would love to run my grizzly quad with you guys down there but will be at the 7 sisters then. have fun :coolup:

Made in the USA???

bajalou - 12-7-2004 at 08:43 AM

Got to be careful with the "Made in the USA" remarks. I for one don't consider Toronto as in the USA. and as for the Tacoma here is some info. (from Toyota websites)

NUMMI - New United Meotor Manufacturing Inc - factory in Fremont CA since 1984.

NUMMI began producing a truck, originally called the Hilux, in 1991. Four years later, the Hilux was redesigned and re-named the Tacoma. NUMMI now produces over 163,000 Tacomas a year.

NUMMI builds 17 models of the award-winning Tacoma, including a PreRunner Double Cab, 4x4 Double Cab, 4x2 Xtracab, PreRunner Xtracab, 4x4 Xtracab, S-Runner, 4x2 Regular Cab, PreRunner Regular Cab and 4x4 Regular Cab.

Mexico factory starts

In September, Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Baja California (TMMBC) began manufacturing truck beds to be used in vehicle assembly both at TMMBC and New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) ? a joint venture of Toyota and General Motors in Fremont, California. When TMMBC begins assembling the Tacoma in December 2004, the plant will have a total annual capacity of 180,000 truck beds and 30,000 Tacoma pickup trucks, and will employ about 700 asociados.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama, Inc. (TMMAL) plans to boost its annual V8 engine production capacity to 270,000 units from the current 120,000 units. V8 engines will go to the Tundra full-size pickup and Sequoia SUV produced in Indiana and to Tundras to be built at Toyota's upcoming San Antonio, Texas plant. Also planned is a new production line that will raise TMMAL's annual engine output to 400,000 units in 2006, including V6 engines from mid-2005. V6 engines will be used in the Tundra, as well as in the Tacoma produced in Fremont California and Baja California, Mexico. The US$250 million additional investment will expand Toyota's North American annual engine production capacity to 1.44 million units in 2006.

So you can feel good about a Tacoma as coming from Calif - Alto or Baja

:biggrin:

I haven't owned a Toyota for about 20 years.

[Edited on 12-7-2004 by bajalou]

TMW - 12-7-2004 at 01:06 PM

In 1991 after I purchased a Toyota Camry for the wife and a chevy truck for me, a friend complained about it being a foreign car. That I should have bought American. I asked him which vehicle he was complaining about the chevy built in Canada or the Toyota built in Kentucky. H edidn't have a good answer other than something about corporations. Now I have all foreign vehicles. 91 chevy PU, 93 Toyota PU, 98 Acura and 04 GMC Z71 also from Canada.

4baja - 12-7-2004 at 08:15 PM

coudn't agree with you more TW!!!!! :coolup:

Ken Cooke - 12-7-2004 at 08:39 PM

Pole Line Road Participants,

The final bits and pieces of information have now been posted to the Official Pole Line Link Page. No more information will be presented before now and the event. Please arrive early, get your shopping done at Pep Boys, and be ready to leave at the scheduled time...

-Ken

David K - 12-7-2004 at 08:50 PM

Isn't the Jeep Wrangler made in Canada?

That would make the California built Tacoma even more American, yes?

bajalou - 12-7-2004 at 09:04 PM

I believe you're right David. I think Fremont really is a lot more US of America than Canada.

:biggrin:

David K - 12-7-2004 at 09:36 PM

Yes, but even more important is that I got my truck at Toyota of CARLSBAD (not Yokahama), that the salesman was an American (his family benefited), the owner of the dealership is American. The mechanics (for maintenance, since it never breaks down) are Americans...

The labor unions brainwash the masses about buying American, since very little is really 100% American anymore.

I do choose to avoid buying communist made products (Vietnam, Red China)... North Korea and Cuba doesn't legally export to here.

Ken Cooke - 12-9-2004 at 11:20 PM

David,

I believe all toilet paper, Q-Tip swabs, and denture caps all come from China now.. :no:

-Ken

Neal Johns - 12-23-2004 at 12:44 AM

The survivors are starting to trickle back.....

Who was left behind to die?

Who got lost?

Who got us found?

Who woke everyone up at 5:30?

Who kept trying to shampoo my wife?

Who swings like a monkey on a rope?

Only Ken Cooke knows..... :lol:

David K - 12-23-2004 at 12:54 AM

Teasing us, eh Neal?
Well, I hope to read more tomorrow!
Here's Ken and Suzanne on Shell Island a few years ago...

TMW - 12-23-2004 at 08:35 AM

Do I need to rescue the Jeepsters in my Toyota yet or wait till they start begging.

Just kidding. Can't wait to hear the story and have David plan a trip there WHEN IT'S WARM.

David K - 12-23-2004 at 09:23 AM

Sounds great, I really wanted to go but couldn't take off from the project I am on now... The Lost Diaz Grave is (maybe) in this area as well. Perhaps a Nomad expedition during Spring Break?

Here is the area where the pole line road is located. This is an area that the AAA map shows nothing exists in! On the map, it is between Ejido Jamau (just NE of Valle Trinidad) and La Ventana (on Hwy. 5).

bajalou - 12-23-2004 at 10:02 AM

With a little warm weather David, I'm ready. A buggy or Bronco II will allow me to see the sites worth seeing.

:biggrin:

Hltoppr - 12-24-2004 at 10:07 AM

I learned to wrench on my jeeps...now I enjoy my Land Cruisers even more!

-H-
(1992 with 194,000 miles...runs great!)

[Edited on 12-24-2004 by Hltoppr]

David K - 12-24-2004 at 04:54 PM

Well, any of you people who went on Baja Ken's trip going to tell us how it was? Did the Toyotas pull the Jeeps up Basketball Hill? :lol:

Update:
OK Ken emailed me the trip report, so here is the link to it (on a seperate thread here on Nomad...):
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=7615

[Edited on 12-25-2004 by David K]