2003 Tracker build

[z06jeff]

Not much to report this summer as the pandemic has thrown a wet blanket on everything for everyone. I've been teleworking since April, and for the past few weeks I've been going in 1 day a week. So not many miles are being put on the Tracker. We haven't even used the RTT yet this year, though we hope to in the coming weeks. One thing we have been doing is utilizing the purple lizard maps we bought last year. I've discovered fire roads, pipeline roads, and mountain trails all within an hour of my house that I never knew existed. I'm in southwest PA, so I'm talking about the Laurel Highlands/Ohiopyle area. There is a National hiking trail that winds through most of those roads so we do a little (mild) off-roading, and when we intersect with the trail, we park and go hike a few hours.
I'm also kinda of a watch nerd, and I've always resisted smart watches, but when I first saw the Garmin Instinct, I knew I had to have it. I've had it now since Father's Day, and haven't taken it off except twice to recharge it. It's great for those hikes we take. It gives you your coordinates, shows you where you've been, plus has all the health stuff a fitbit would have. (steps, heartrate, etc.) Not really Tracker related, but still a cool gadget to have off the beaten path.

 

[RoarinRow]

What a fun looking rig!

 

[rzims]

What an awesome build. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Downs]

Love those little things, Trackers, Samurais, Vitaras, ect. Awesome vehicle. I'll always go for small and light over large and porky.

 

[Shanning]

What a great build. I think they are great little vehicles. Nice work.

 

[gtilford]

This was a great build to read about, I am up in Southern Ontario so also the winter salt belt and managed to find a really decent 03 Tracker. I picked it up just over a month ago and so far the only mod that has been done was new tires moving from the 205/75 r15s that were on it up to a set of Toyo Open Country AT2 215/75 r15s. I am researching how to setup a drawer system in the back of it right now, as the back seats will be in the down position full time and I will most likely remove the rear seat bottoms so they are not folded up against the front seats. I like to do nature and mostly bird photography so I would like the tracker to be setup that if I want to take off for a night or two up into Northern Ontario I will be able to just sleep on the passenger side of the tracker with the front seat moved forward and tilted forward.
I have over 38 years of experience wheeling most of what is available in Ontario and about 15 years ago decided to just challenge myself to only do minimal upgrades to a stock vehicle and see what it would then be capable of. Usually the only thing I add is tires and some skid plates. I think on this Tracker I will also add rock rails just because ground clearance is limited but then I look forward to what adventure will await.
I look forward to seeing any other upgrades you do to yours and once again thanks for sharing with all of us

 

[z06jeff]

This was a great build to read about, I am up in Southern Ontario so also the winter salt belt and managed to find a really decent 03 Tracker. I picked it up just over a month ago and so far the only mod that has been done was new tires moving from the 205/75 r15s that were on it up to a set of Toyo Open Country AT2 215/75 r15s. I am researching how to setup a drawer system in the back of it right now, as the back seats will be in the down position full time and I will most likely remove the rear seat bottoms so they are not folded up against the front seats. I like to do nature and mostly bird photography so I would like the tracker to be setup that if I want to take off for a night or two up into Northern Ontario I will be able to just sleep on the passenger side of the tracker with the front seat moved forward and tilted forward.
I have over 38 years of experience wheeling most of what is available in Ontario and about 15 years ago decided to just challenge myself to only do minimal upgrades to a stock vehicle and see what it would then be capable of. Usually the only thing I add is tires and some skid plates. I think on this Tracker I will also add rock rails just because ground clearance is limited but then I look forward to what adventure will await.
I look forward to seeing any other upgrades you do to yours and once again thanks for sharing with all of us

My only recommendation to you would be to get the Airlift bags like I have. The rear springs are really soft, so yours will probably squat if you do a full drawer setup. And I'm just talking about the weight of the drawers themselves, not including gear. Another alternative would be stiffer springs like Old Man EMU. They cost more, and you won't have the adjustability like you would with the bags, but a lot of folks swear by them.

 

[Tooch]

I just went and drove some of the high clearance trails on my Purple Lizard map of Ohiopyle, and my wife and I are going to spend a few days camping there in a couple weeks, which is how I came across your thread by doing a search for 'Ohiopyle'. Did you find any worthwhile trails there?

 

[z06jeff]

I just went and drove some of the high clearance trails on my Purple Lizard map of Ohiopyle, and my wife and I are going to spend a few days camping there in a couple weeks, which is how I came across your thread by doing a search for 'Ohiopyle'. Did you find any worthwhile trails there?

Most of the stuff we tried near Ohioplye were just fire roads. The Birdwell Rd was pretty cool since it parallels a stream that you cross about 4 or 5 times. But it stops at the railroad tracks, then you have to turn around and go back out the same way. We did stop at the Laurel Highlands hiking trail and hiked a few miles out and back. But again, there's no way to make a loop.
On the back of the map (the zoomed out version), we found some cool roads off of 653 near Normalville. The John Henry Rd to Middle Fork rd to Brown Rd loop was a couple hours of steep, rocky terrain. Most of the pictures in post #21 were from that loop. The LH Hiking trail also runs through that area, so we stopped for a hike there too. I did see some some camping potential in that area, but I'm not sure who owns that land, or if anyone would even notice/care. I passed a couple people on quads out there, but no actual vehicles. There were a few more roads branching off of that loop that I haven't explored yet, so I've been wanting to get back up there and find a place to set up with the rtt.
If you ever want to hook and explore some that stuff together, let me know. I probably haven't even done 1/3rd of what's listed on the map.

 

[Tooch]

Most of the stuff we tried near Ohioplye were just fire roads. The Birdwell Rd was pretty cool since it parallels a stream that you cross about 4 or 5 times. But it stops at the railroad tracks, then you have to turn around and go back out the same way. We did stop at the Laurel Highlands hiking trail and hiked a few miles out and back. But again, there's no way to make a loop.
On the back of the map (the zoomed out version), we found some cool roads off of 653 near Normalville. The John Henry Rd to Middle Fork rd to Brown Rd loop was a couple hours of steep, rocky terrain. Most of the pictures in post #21 were from that loop. The LH Hiking trail also runs through that area, so we stopped for a hike there too. I did see some some camping potential in that area, but I'm not sure who owns that land, or if anyone would even notice/care. I passed a couple people on quads out there, but no actual vehicles. There were a few more roads branching off of that loop that I haven't explored yet, so I've been wanting to get back up there and find a place to set up with the rtt.
If you ever want to hook and explore some that stuff together, let me know. I probably haven't even done 1/3rd of what's listed on the map.

I'd definitely be down for some exploring! I only had time to find my way down a few roads, one being the one you mentioned crossing the creek. That was def a pretty drive. There was a trail off of that one that wasn't marked on either the Purple Lizard or my OnX app. I followed it a bit which was a fun climb, but then reached some decent mud. I took my Tacoma which has some stocker a/t Dunlops on it and was alone, so decided not to push it. I had our off roading tote (recovery stuff), but useless alone and no cell service lol. My wife's 4runner has some good a/t's and a winch, I'd of gotten a little more bold had I had it.
That hiking trail crossed over both roads I was on. The one road was really narrow however with nowhere to pull off.
I'm off Sunday/Mondays so anytime that might work for you, let's go exploring!

 

[z06jeff]

I did get a chance to hook up with Tooch and one of his friends last weekend and do some exploring in the Laurel Highlands. It's cool to meet up with local people with similar interests. The first trail was dry , steep and rocky. It seemed the further we went, the more extreme it got. The Tracker had no issues with the climb, but I started to worry about hitting my aluminum drivetrain parts since I don't have skid plates. We eventually turned around and drove down the road a few miles to get on a different trail. This one was wet and muddy. Considering I have open diffs and my MT's are pretty shot, I was surprised how well the little Tracker handled the muck. The deepest spot (shown in one of the pics) was deep enough to submerge the bumpers. To my surprise, it went through without any drama. I was also a little worried I was going to be wearing some new pinstripes, but after I pressure washed the under carriage and gave it a good bath, it looks like it came out unscathed.
Overall, it was a good time, and my wife and I got to make new friends with some cool people. And it was this thread on this forum that brought us all together.