#just gotta do the tie rod and put the air box back in

[tony-hawks-underground]

Left my impact sockets at the junkyard. And now it's pouring down rain so i cant work on my truck

[banshee1013]

Fic - Sticky Sweet

Yesterday was the #DeanCasWedding, which of course means today must be - the #DeanCasHoneymoon! Written for the SPN Family Discord Valentine’s Exchange, this was not necessarily written as a honeymoon fic, but it works! Enjoy! 

Title: Sticky Sweet Rating: Teen Tags: Castiel/Dean, Camping, Tooth-rotting Fluff (literally) Word Count: 1768 Summary:  Dean has been introducing a newly-human Cas to human things - the latest: camping under the stars, complete with tent, campfire, and s'mores -- but Castiel has a surprise for Dean as well. AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29422437

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Dean holds on to the thin thread of his patience as he threads the tent pole through the seemingly unending number of loops running over the top side of the tent, grumbling to himself as he has to back the pole out due to missing a loop. Finally, the tent poles are in place and he uses the ties at the pinnacle of the tent to anchor where the tent poles meet and then stands, dusting off his knees. Starting at one corner, he pops the pole end into the tent foot, making his way around to all four corners until the tent is finally upright. He stands back and crosses his arms to admire his work, then looks around for Cas and smiles fondly when he sees him.

While he was pitching the tent (the thought makes him grin, of course), he had sent Cas out to find some firewood and to build the fire pit, handing him a small evac tool (basically a mini-shovel) to clear the ground where the pit would go and instructing him to find some nice round river rock from the small creek nearby to line it with. Cas had done spectacularly, a substantial stack of various sizes of tree branches and a three-ish foot circle of ground cleared nearby. Currently, the former angel was crouched on the ground next to a small pile of oval-shaped stones and was placing them in a ring around the cleared space with the precision one usually associates with engineering a spacecraft.

“Hey, Cas, that looks great! Can you come help me with the tent cover please?”

Cas looks up from his ring of stones, smiles and rises to his feet; but his brows pinch together as he looks past Dean and at the tent. “That does not look very secure, Dean. Are you sure it will remain stationary?”

Dean laughs and pulls Cas in for a hug as he approaches, then turns him around to face the tent, keeping an arm over his shoulder. “When we put the top cover on — that keeps moisture from rain and morning dew from getting inside — we’ll anchor it with those tent spikes,” he motions toward the four silver rods lying at each corner of the tent. “But I need help getting the cover on evenly.” Cas nods and heads toward the tent, Dean following and he can’t help but admire the view.

Dean has finally managed to rid him of the ubiquitous trench coat, suit, and tie, replacing it with a royal blue hoodie the color of his eyes and dark grey Henley, the sleeves pulled up to expose muscular forearms; and dark blue jeans that hug his surprisingly slender form — and does wonders for Dean’s libido. The fact that the trench coat and ill-fitting suit hid his drool-worthy body all this time is a travesty that Dean continually laments — but is glad to have rectified, especially as the jeans draw tight around those remarkably muscular thighs when Cas crouches down to inspect the tent spikes.

The sun is just starting to dip behind the trees and just then a shaft of light streaks through the branches, backlighting Cas in yellow-orange light and setting his dark brown head glowing like a halo, and Dean gasps at the sight. He’s absolutely gorgeous, how have I been so blind? Cas glances over his shoulder, head tilted and a puzzled look in his eye, the same shaft of light striking and turning them into blue fire.

Dean suddenly realizes he’s the luckiest sonuvabitch alive.

“Dean? Are you alright?”

Blinking, Dean shakes his head and smiles, moving toward the tent. “Yeah… I’m great, Cas.” Kneeling down next to him, he takes Cas’ face in both hands and kisses him, soft and chaste… but the next thing Dean knows, he’s on his back with Cas over him, groaning against his lips as he deepens the kiss.

Cas finally breaks the kiss to gasp for air, and even though it’s literally the last thing he wants to do, Dean gently pushes him back. “We’re losing the light, sweetheart, and we gotta finish putting this tent together,” he gasps. Cas sighs and rises to his feet, offering a hand down to pull Dean up. They quickly get to work and in no time, the tent cover is pulled over the top and the tent staked down securely.

“Cas, can you finish with the campfire? I’m gonna get the rest of our camping stuff.” Dean rushes to the car to grab their sleeping bags, cooler, and Coleman grill — no way was he going to attempt to cook an actual meal over a campfire — while Cas finishes placing the stones around the cleared area and setting some of the firewood he’d gathered inside; smaller sticks on the bottom and tenting some of the larger pieces over the top. By the time Dean has returned and placed their sleeping bags inside the tent, Cas already has a nice fire going. Dean smiles as he sees Cas perched on the smooth log he’d managed to find, placed in front of the fire for them to sit on, and digs into the bag next to the cooler for the surprise he brought.

He joins Cas at the fire with his treasures in hand — two long metal sticks with handles, a bag of jumbo marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, and several fun-sized Hersey chocolates. “Ever had s’mores, Cas?” he asks, setting the items down by the log before taking a seat next to him.

Cas leans over and glances at the items by Dean’s feet with that adorable head-tilt Dean loves. “I don’t believe I have.”

Dean smiles and leans over to kiss him quickly. “Well, then, you’re in for a treat.” He tears open the bag of marshmallows and plucks one out, spearing it on the stick and holding it over the fire. “The trick is to get it close enough to the fire for it to melt and char a little. Don’t let it stay still or it’ll burn and that’s no good.” He demonstrates, twirling the marshmallow over the fire until it’s golden brown.

“Now, grab one of the graham crackers, snap it in half, and unwrap the chocolate.” Cas follows his instructions as Dean pulls the marshmallow from the fire. “Okay, place the chocolate on one half of the graham cracker…” Cas does and Dean maneuvers the marshmallow over the chocolate and cracker, “... now pinch it with the other half of the graham cracker.” With his free hand, Dean reaches over to cover Cas’ hand with his own to show him how to squish the marshmallow between the graham crackers and chocolate and pulls the stick free.

Cas looks at the s’more in his hand, turning it this way and that as chocolate melted by the hot marshmallow begins to drip. “Quick! Eat it!” Dean nudges his hand toward his mouth and Cas takes a big bite, the gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate squirting out from the other side and onto his hand.

Cas finishes the bite, but then frowns. “It’s very good,” he comments, the frown intensifying as the chocolate and marshmallow start to slide down his arm, “but it’s also very messy.”

Dean is not about to miss this opportunity, grabbing Cas’ arm and running his tongue up it, lapping up the melted marshmallow and chocolate, his eyes never leaving Cas’ face and feeling the flush crawl up his neck at the heat reflected there — and not just from the proximity of the fire. Taking the remaining portion of the s’more into his mouth, he sucks the remaining marshmallow and chocolate from Cas’ fingers, running his tongue in and around them and taking immense pleasure in the way Cas’ breath hitches.

No sooner has he finished swallowing the bite than Cas has him on his back in front of the log, mouth on his and licking the sweetness from it; his body warm and firm against his, and Dean can’t stifle the moan that follows.

Cas finally pulls back, his cheeks flushed and breath harsh. “I would like another, please.”

Awhile later, sated on s’mores and kisses, Dean leans against the log between Cas’ knees, head resting on a thick thigh as Cas runs a (thankfully clean due to the wet wipes Dean had the foresight to pack) hand through his hair. His eyes are getting heavy and the last thing he wants to do right now is move.

Cas has other ideas.

“Dean, I need to get up.” Dean groans and grips his thigh in protest, but Cas is insistent. “I won’t be long, I promise.” With an exaggerated sigh, Dean releases his grip on Cas’ thigh and lifts his head, and Cas rises from the log and disappears into the darkness behind them. He hears the trunk of the Impala open, a rustling of fabric, and the trunk shutting again; then Cas is back. Dean watches as he lays a blanket on the ground on the other side of the fire opposite the log. Sitting on the blanket with his legs spread, he pats the area in between.

Dean gets the message. He crawls around the fire to where Cas sits and nestles himself in the proffered area on the blanket, his back to Cas’ broad chest, and leans back, closing his eyes. From behind them, he feels Cas’ arms reach behind on either side, pulling something up over his shoulders.

“The thing I miss the most since losing my Grace,” he says quietly, haltingly, “is holding you with my wings.” He sighs, and Dean hears more rustling, this time sounding like… feathers? The rustling pulls around them, followed by encompassing warmth; and Dean opens his eyes gasping at the sight of black feathers wrapped around him, brilliant blues and greens and scattered flecks of gold shining in the firelight.

“Even though they were not corporeal, and not technically consisting of cormorant feathers, I knew you could still feel them — and this was the best representation I could find,” he said as he spreads the blanket of feathers fully around them, pulling Dean close and laying his cheek against the crown of his head.

Dean’s breath catches in his throat as he’s suffused in the warmth of the feathers and Cas’ body. His hands grasp Cas’ wrists and pulls him tighter.

“This is amazing,” he says, his voice barely audible above the crackling of the fire. “I love you so much, Cas.”

He feels Cas’ smile against the top of his head, then lips pressed against his temple. “And I, you, Dean.”

[s3mag]

For someone like Nalu living in Kauai HI, throwing good aftermarket/replacement parts at your ride is a bit more challenging than most of us have to experience. Remote access + a low population + a high cost of living requires creativity & finesse. Yeah – there’s definitely a lot of siiiiiiick Tacomas roaming the Hawaiian Islands, and lifted small-body trucks are 100% a lifestyle out there. But getting parts shipped around inter-island is kind of a pain in the ass, plus it’s another added expense. So if you want to build something truly hauss out there, you HAVE to get that much more passionate about it. At the same time, you’ve gotta learn to stay patient, flexible, and open-minded. And – it helps to have some trained mechanical/fab/paint skills. Well between Nalu & his brother Golden, they’ got the skillsets covered… they literally have their college degrees in this stuff. And it doesn’t hurt that back in the 80’s, Toyota was building trucks that could outlast the end of days lol.

High mileage ain’t the killer in Hawaii, but the elements are. That salt-air wears on ‘em hard. But Toyota struck on something so right with these 80’s/90’s pickups. Simplicity + durability… that’s the formula. These trucks can handle anything you throw at ‘em. Plus – they were built so practically, that anyone with basic tools and a fridge full of Heine could learn the entire machine in a weekend. Seeing these island-built trucks re-calibrates us to the fact that: If you slow your pace-of-life down just a little damn bit, you really don’t need all the modern beef that a new truck boasts… to get through the mud & sand in life. You don’t need it. There is comfort in simplicity.                                               

Ok so let’s get to the build…

In 1984, Toyota Pickups were carbureted with a straight axles front & rear. In ’85, they went to fuel injection (still straight axle). And for ’86-on, they made the switch to independent front suspension. And while Independent Front Suspension (IFS) makes for better handling at higher speeds on paved roads… it’s not as capable or flexy off-road. So 1984 & 1985 are kind of the sought-after years to have if you can find one. And a lot of people with later models will just swap to a solid front axle if they get serious.

Nalu’s truck is an ’85, but it’s got the 81-84 Toyota 22R carbureted engine with an earlier 20R head for higher compression (since it’s got a smaller chamber) & hot cam.

Nalu’s got Trail Creeper dual transfer cases with 2.28/4.70 reduction. So sick! The two transfer cases give you a ton of low range for churning, climbing, & crawling. Basically – you get a 2wd-hi, 2wd-lo, 4wd-hi, 4wd-lo, and 4wd-lo-lo. We were rolling 5th gear at 6mph! Plus in the cab, you’ve got 3 shifters!  

  The FRONT axle has been rebuilt & trussed. And the REAR axle is from a later model 89-94 V6 Taco/4Runner. (Note: people will often call the 86-on trucks “IFS trucks” simply because they had Independent Front Suspension. But that can get a little confusing… because you might hear someone say “they put an IFS axle on the rear of their 85”. You’re scratching your head, thinking they put independent front suspension on the BACK of the truck?!?? But it has nothing to do with the actual “independent front suspension”. What it means is: The ISF trucks had a WIDER rear end, so they took that wider rear end, and put it on their older-body truck. Now you’re even more confused huh?)

Nalu upgraded front hubs from a later-model IFS truck, which allowed him to run the later-model, larger brake system.

  For the FRONT suspension Nalu did the 3-pack ‘Rears Up Front’ leaf springs from an 89-94 pickup. Which is pretty much just as it sounds… where you take the leaf springs out of the rear of an 89-94 (IFS)… and stick them in the front of your ’85. Nalu mixed those OEM leafs with some All-Pro leafs, for a 7-pack total. In the REAR, he’s using Trail Gear 5in leafs, with the 3rd-to-bottom leaf pulled out. On top of that, he’s got a 2-inch body lift with a custom-made steering shaft extension… and a u-bolt flip-kit all around for that extra ground clearance (and to keep the u-bolt threads away from rocks).

  Nalu & Golden triangle’d the positioning of the rear shocks… so that they move inline with the rear axle as it flares over obstacles. And they made the front & rear bumpers. Pretty neat!

The truck has happily taken everything Nalu’s thrown at it – just as Toyota intended. It’s been laid on its side, drug through the mud, wrung-out in the Pacific… and pulled many-a rental Jeeps outta Polihale. It also gets him to work everyday… 40 minutes each way… ironically at Nissan. 40 minutes on Kauai is a big-ass commute! But I guess not toooo crazy now… they’re only rolling about 35mph.

  Nalu’s Pickup made its way into the family through his brother, Golden, who had been living in Idaho. When Golden came back home, he brought the Pickup with him. Shortly after, Nalu and Golden traded trucks. With a Pro Comp lift, body work, and primer already on the truck, Nalu wanted to throw more mods at it… but had to do so through a number of unorthodox ways. Using other manufacturer’s parts, like Chevy, replacing front suspension parts with rear suspension parts, or fabricating pieces in house, like the custom tube front stinger… these are all solutions and adaptations to the world Nalu lives in. He works with what’s he’s got. As far as he may be, I feel we we can all relate to that in some way.

  Just like Toyota intended it, the ‘85 Toyota has taken everything Nalu’s thrown at it, and more. Nalu casually mentioned the time he flipped it on its side, trained it through a mud pit, and effortlessly crawls over rocks that would crush your daily beater. As you’re reading this, it’s still his daily that takes him to and from work 40 minutes each way. Nalu’s kept it alive for another 6 years and 350,000 miles… and counting. If you askl me, that’s about as Toyota as it gets.

1985 Toyota Pickup Reg Cab Longbed

ENGINE

81-84 22r block

20r head for higher compression (since smaller chamber) – w/ 22r valves and rocker assembly

Dual valve springs and titanium retainers

LCE stage-2 high lift cam

Custom Notched high dome pistons

ARP head studs

OEM Toyota head gasket

Cannon side draft intake manifold

Dual 40mm Mikuni carbs with custom throttle cable bracket & EFI throttle cable

Adjustable cam gear tuned to camshaft card

Bomb Proof motor mounts

LCE headers

Wongie Fab 2.5” piping (Wongie Fab is Nalu’s brother, Golden)

Flowmaster 40 series muffler

LCE flex fan

Marlin crawler 1600 ft/lb clutch kit

LCE spark plug wire kit

GM ignition module mod

LCE breather kit

Optima red top battery

LCE low pressure fuel pump/regulator and gauge

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DRIVETRAIN

W56 transmission topshift

Trail Creeper dual transfer cases 2.28/4.70 reduction

Triple drilled flanges

Bomb Proof dual trans mounts

Trail Gear crossmember

Wongie Fab long spline front driveshaft

Single piece rear driveshaft with Double Cardan cv

IFS (89-94) rear end with v6 third member

Marlin Crawler ‘full face’ diff cover

4.88 gears in rear with Detroit locker

4.88 gears in front with Lincoln locker

Rebuilt front axle

-w/ backing plate eliminator

-Toyota upper truss

-half face diff cover

-shock truss

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SUSPENSION / STEERING / BRAKES

Tacoma front brake swap

IFS (86-94) hubs

IFS steering box with mounting kit

Trail Gear high steer kit with FJ80 tie rod ends & drop pitman arm

Marlin Crawler high steer arms

Bilstein 5125 shocks all around – 14in front/12in rear (‘triangled’ for articulation).

Wongie Fab front shock hoops

U-bolt flip kit all around

4crawler custom 2in body lift with a custom steering shaft extension

3-pack ‘Rears Up Front’ leaf springs from 89-94 pickup, mixed with All-Pro leafs (7-pack total)

Trail Gear 5in rear leaf springs with 3rd-to-bottom leaf pulled

8in BudBuilt shackles all around

Trail Gear creeper joint shackle mount

Wongie Fab stacked front hanger

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INTERIOR / EXTERIOR

Wongie Fab front & rear pipe bumpers

Soft Topper rear camper

84-88 wide mirrors

H4 headlights with diamond cut housing

Side marker mod

90’s style single-piece rear window

1.5” Spider Trax spacers all around

SR5 bucket seats with wet Okoles

POR15 complete cab and engine bay

Grant wood-finished steering wheel

Dash mat

LCE triple gauge cluster/iEquus gauges with LED bulbs

Alpine deck/amp

Kicker 6×9” and 4” speakers

8in Image Dynamics in bazooka tube

Pb5 Dodge electric blue

All A/C components installed

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WHEELS / TIRES

37×13.00×15 Super Swamper boggers on 15×10 steel wheels

35×12.5×15 BFG km2’s on 15×10 Alcoas

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FUTURE MODS

Warn 8k winch

VIAIR on-board air kit

7/8” heim joint tie rod ends with 3/4” less drop pitman arm bead-locked steel wheels with 40” Maxxis Trepadors

Complete Sr5 center console & headliner

Marlin Crawler short-shifter

Custom rock sliders (almost complete)

3rz turbo engine swap

Chromoly 30-spline birfields & front axles

ARB front locker high pinion diff

Trail Gear twin sticks

Chevy 63” rear spring swap with double shackle

Front & Rear custom anti axle wrap bars

  Text by Jesuel Rivera & Wooley     Photos by Billy Grace

Haukulamai – 1985 Toyota Pickup Reg Cab Longbed For someone like Nalu living in Kauai HI, throwing good aftermarket/replacement parts at your ride is a bit more challenging than most of us have to experience.