Looking to do the Baja run

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roscopeeco78

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So as the thread says, this is a near term goal. I currently have a beautiful 2013 stage 2 Roush in Terrain. My plans would be do the modifications for this kind of run, but also keep the stock suspension wheels ect. to put back on when I am finished. Or I will use any modification made as permanent as long as it doesn't interfere with reverting back to 35s and my stock 17s.

other than lights and gps setups, what is the minimum needed to do a run like this. I am not looking to cut any part of the body for added clearance.
 

sdraptor

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With a stock raptor you can go down to baja and have fun. If you want high speed stuff than you would want to do some suspension upgrades.
 

RivRaptor

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A chase rack / cage with associated goodies ie: 2 spares, extra fuel, water, offroad jack & tools. Radio & GPS device. If your truck is supercharged take an extra belt, other than that a stock Rapter suspension & tire/wheels are fine. The most important thing you can take with you is your brain, don't overdrive the truck and you'll be fine. After many Baja trips in a stock 12' with chase cage & radios the biggest cause of break downs I saw were related to not reading the terrain or situation properly. Remember even pre-run courses change from the time they were pre-run especially if it rained....Your reaction time is limited when hauling ass down dirt roads and blind corners. You can overdrive your GPS when you lose signal temporarily around mountains & canyons makes driving interesting! The trucks are well designed I put that 12' through hell and drove it back. Put 100k on my 12' and now in an 18'. Good luck.
 

jondle

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I'll be on EXO's Baja run in May and I've done many runs with a mostly stock setup. The only difference between stock and headily mod'd is how fast you go when it gets rough. You'll be fine for sure. The stock trucks tend to break down less. Probably because they aren't running as hard, but still.

To expand on what @RivRaptor said:
You want two spares, with at least one spare in the bed. I wouldn't go without both in the bed, but it is a nightmare to get a spare from under the bed when buried in the sand.

VHF Radio is critical. A hand held is nice to have for when you stop and are out of the truck, but you need a high powered one with an antenna. To avoid dust, you could be a couple miles from the next truck.

An off-road GPS. Most people use Lowrance, but I've seen a lot of iPad or other tablet style setups getting more and more popular.

In addition to the belt, I always bring a couple extra air filters and a cooler of beer. Those are cheap, lightweight parts that frequently need replaced. The next most likely to go out would be the power steering pump, especially if you run tires heavier than stock. Extra fuel is kind of a no-brainer, especially with a supercharger.


That is the end of required stuff. Here are a couple suggestions I have in addition to that.

As part of your light setup, don't forget chase/dust/rear-facing lights. Generally amber or red, but any rear-facing off-road light will do. It is so critical if you are running in a group. I promise, it'll get more use than the thousands you can spend on forward lights.

Frame reinforcement and bump stops. Everyone (SVC, RPG, ICON, etc., etc., etc.) makes a kit for a reason. It is an easy to install/remove insurance policy against frame bending. If you bend a frame with one of their kits, you were going about 4x the speed you should have been going and I promise other things on your truck are also broken.

The factory skid plate sits so far forward and is so flimsy, it is almost impossible not to trash it. Sure they are cheap'ish to replace, but I would get an upgraded bumper with a much heavier skid plate. I know you said you didn't want to cut the body, but this is the frame and your truck is out of warranty anyway. I have a frame-cut bumper that has been on many, many runs over 7 years without needing it or the skid plate replaced. I was on my third factory skid plate after 2 years. Like me, maybe trash the factory one first, then upgrade and plan on leaving the bumper on the truck when you sell it.

People make a big deal about air, but as long as you aren't running lower than ~22 psi, you can drive it all the way home that way. Sure, you may not have even tire wear, but if you are running in Baja on those tires you probably aren't as concerned about even tire wear. Don't get me wrong, I carry a CO2 tank to air back up for the highway at the end of a run, it just isn't as critical as so many other things.

Recovery gear is critical for the group to have, not necessarily you. Make sure someone in the group has a few recovery straps, shackles, and traction boards. I know almost no one that has a winch in the desert. They are heavy and there isn't anything except other trucks to attach to, so a recovery strap is almost always as good.
 
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roscopeeco78

roscopeeco78

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This is all great advice...Thanks for the responses. I already have plans for the third brake light. There is a nice light housing that accepts three baja design lights. I will probably do everything you suggest except the bumper. I like the suggestion of possibly sacrificing one skid plate and replacing bumper. If I run it light and happen to keep the skid plate in tact, I consider that a bonus.
 

Canuck714

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@jondle hit the nail on the head.
A stock truck is very capable, just be aware you are in a stock truck if you are running with people in built rigs.

Outside of the Spares, Fluids, Jack and Recovery, Communication and Safety stuff that you need to take, make sure the maintenance checklist is thorough before ya go.
You don't want to be that guy that shows up and needs basic shit 10 miles in.
Check your Brakes, Ball Joints, CV's, U-Joints, Spark Plugs/Wires. Put a new blower belt on now, and take a spare, get 2 new filters and an Outer-wears pre-filter.

I have a Roush SC and play off road often, the extra power is fun, but you can break shit easy if you don't respect it.
Personally, I think you want to start some mods now, just to make the truck better everyday.
Deavers... Helps with wheel hop/traction and improves the back end so much
Bump's.
JDM Tune.. Really does make the truck run/drive better. Do the plug swap before ya burn a piston on the stock shit with a blower.
Get a Gates K061251 HD belt.. the green one. Its smaller than the Roush, but will not jump off like the Roush belt likes to.
 
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