1st Non German Vehicle Build (99' SR5)

[Smoke_801]

Yes! Another build thread cause there aren't enough... :rockon:

Long time lurker mainly in the 6th Gen forums. Really wanted to get either a 6th gen 2020 or 2021 TRD Pro or Audi SQ5. I decided I really didn't want to spend $60k+ on a new car when driving daily isn't a thing right now.

But another toy to build on, that's another story!!

Randomly came across this '99 SR5 3.4 V6 with 224k for $4k in excellent condition on my IG account someone local listed it there before anywhere and I just happened to be the first person to reach out to him. (2nd owner)

I needed something for camping, fly fishing, MTB, Winter sports...

I'm not new to building cars, been doing that for about 20+ years, but very new to building trucks, and especially a 3rd Gen T4R! I'm super excited to learn something new about a proven platform if cared for.


Some pics from before picking it up:

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**Notice the difference in how clean the hatch jam is compared to above...
First things first!! Sub Added
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Plasti Dip Removed & AVS Bug/Rock Guard installed.

https://flic.kr/p/2kce6zc

UPDATED: 4/4/21

Already done to the truck (Pepe) from Romancing the Stone! haha
- Blacked out HID Headlight and Corners
- LED's inside and outer
- Steering wheel and grab handles wrapped with paracord
- Kenwood Bluetooth head unit (wires ran for a sub)
- Plasti Dip badges, chrome bumpers, grill, mirrors
- Custom Exhaust
- 285/75/16 Wrangler Duratrac (traded)

Done so far!
- Rockford Fosgate 12" sub (cleaned up wiring, ran new sub controller wire)
- My OCD interior Detail and Engine Bay
- Power washed the under carriage
- Removed plasti dip from hood and rockers
- Paint touch up to the hitch (needs to be sanded down then recoated)
- SCS Ray10 17" ET-38 w/ Falken Wildpeaks AT3W 285/70/17
- AVS rock chip guard
- Depo Smoked LED Tail Lights
- Matterhorn MKII Roof Rack
- Toytec Ultimate 3" lift w/ SPC UCA's

Not Installed yet:
- 4xinnovations Rock Sliders
- Satoshi Grill
- BXBuilt Retrofit Switchback Halos w/ smoke corners
- Eim Keith PCK
- Rear hatch shocks

On the List: For now...
- Rack LED bar
- TBU (unsure if I am going to do this)
- Still deciding on a rear bumper
- Savage skid plate front engine and Diff kit (Ugh Savage Closed)
- Sand and re-protect undercarriage


Two other Toys!
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[HiLife]

First welcome to the forum! Seems like you get a 2" suspension lift. There would be a gap in between the front bumper and headlights, etc, if you had a body lift. The thing to find out is if the lift is a spacer lift or spring lift.
In a good way, people with ocd turn out great rigs cause their attention to detail is on another level. And I find people who also own European are also meticulous in upkeep.
Looking forwards to seeing which direction your build will be. What speakers are you running in the doors?
Don't forget on planning on changing both lower ball joints, and radiator if you have no proof when they were last changed.

 

[thegipper]

I would address the known "issues" these trucks have first before modding. Examples would be:

1. Replace the radiator or bypass the tranny cooler in the radiator (search pink milk shake)
2. Rear differential breather mod
3. Lower ball joints (OEM parts only)
4. If you don't have records of the fluids being changed, replace them all.
5. When was the timing belt/water pump changed last?

Good luck with your build, it looks nice!

 

[marcus clarkus]

Nice find! $4k is a great price. Welcome

I’ll echo what was said in the post above. I think you should hold off on any mods until you take care of these things:
- New Lower Balls Joints and 8x bolts (Toyota OEM parts only)
- Replace all fluids
- New radiator

 

[Smoke_801]

First welcome to the forum! Seems like you get a 2" suspension lift. There would be a gap in between the front bumper and headlights, etc, if you had a body lift. The thing to find out is if the lift is a spacer lift or spring lift.
In a good way, people with ocd turn out great rigs cause their attention to detail is on another level. And I find people who also own European are also meticulous in upkeep.
Looking forwards to seeing which direction your build will be. What speakers are you running in the doors?
Don't forget on planning on changing both lower ball joints, and radiator if you have no proof when they were last changed.

Thanks for the welcome, looks like a lot of cool people on here with good advise. Yea, I have a bit of OCD lol...

I'm not sure the door speakers, but I'm going to check when it's not so cold out to do work on cars.

I would address the known "issues" these trucks have first before modding. Examples would be:

1. Replace the radiator or bypass the tranny cooler in the radiator (search pink milk shake)
2. Rear differential breather mod
3. Lower ball joints (OEM parts only)
4. If you don't have records of the fluids being changed, replace them all.
5. When was the timing belt/water pump changed last?

Good luck with your build, it looks nice!

Thank you! Just getting started and want to do it right the first time. Done the twice nonsense before...

Nice find! $4k is a great price. Welcome

I’ll echo what was said in the post above. I think you should hold off on any mods until you take care of these things:
- New Lower Balls Joints and 8x bolts (Toyota OEM parts only)
- Replace all fluids
- New radiator

Thanks fellas for the pro tips... I've read some of what you both listed, I called a very reputable shop here locally Coyoda that has been around for well over 20+ years.

I spoke with the guy there for about 45 mins and made an appt next Thur to have everything gone over.

I did call the previous owner and he had the timing belt and water pump changed at 190k, in Oct 2020 had all the fluids flushed. The brakes feel a little mushy, but that could be me being used to german car brakes, although the shop said they could just be out of adjustment. Still going to look into the TBU, but he said that people complain about those feeling mushy as well??

I'll end up doing full suspension, 3" lift most likely Bilstein 6112's, UCAs, LCAs, OEM Bushings if needed, End links...

Maintenance first though!

Until then... These came in so I'll be installing these hopefully before the weekend.

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[thegipper]

No matter what the mechanic finds, make sure you replace the radiator or bypass the tranny cooler. Also, new OEM ball joints and bolts. The ball joints can fail even if there is zero play in them, it's just not worth the risk since they are known to randomly fail over time. These are the only two major "flaws" in these trucks.

Enjoy!

 

[Smoke_801]

No matter what the mechanic finds, make sure you replace the radiator or bypass the tranny cooler. Also, new OEM ball joints and bolts. The ball joints can fail even if there is zero play in them, it's just not worth the risk since they are known to randomly fail over time. These are to only two major "flaws" in these trucks.

Enjoy!

See, I'm glad you said that about the radiator. The owner of the shop that I was talking to, I told him I had been reading and hearing about the Milkshake and he said in his over 20+ years he has never seen that on trucks he works on.

And, that when that does happen it's from extreme off roading and over heating the engine.?

I would like to get a nice new shinny one, haha

 

[RandyBobandy]

Off roading and overheating isn’t the cause of the pink milkshake, it’s corrosion between the portions of the rad that hold the transmission fluid and coolant. While this issue is far from common it's always a good idea to replace the radiator as preventative maintenance because it’s inexpensive and if this failure does happen you need a new engine and transmission most of the time.

 

[Smoke_801]

First off, thank you all for the great insight and recommendations. I was able to get the Runner into the shop Coyoda Inc.

Crazy coincidence is that the shop has done original owners maintenance over the last 10+ years, so he had all the records on what was changed, upgraded etc... The 2nd owner however decided to do his own work on the truck and didn't do a good job at all... Nothing major, but a lot of short cuts. Thankfully Nick is as OCD as I am and as he was working on it he was returning things back to stock.

Here is the list of what was needed and some Maintenance that was done! The Runner feels great, sounds great, and can tell a big difference after some TLC!!

• Bumper to Bumper full check over
• Timing Belt and Water Pump
• Idler and tensioner bearings
• Hydraulic tensioner
• Flushed cooling system of green coolant, filled & bleed w/ Toyota red coolant
• Replaced fan clutch & Fan pulley bracket (bad bearing)
• Crankshaft seal
• Camshaft position sensor (previous owner installed really wrong) pic below...
• Replaced spark plugs and Cord set (wrong single ground plugs were installed)
• Serviced, Drained and Filled Front & Rear Diff
• Drain and Fill ATM
• Oil & Filter changed, lubed greased zerks
• Serviced MAF
• Adjusted Rear Brake shoes
• 1 Passenger Front lug nut stud was broken (replaced)
• Replaced Front brake lines
• Replaced 3rd Brake light bulb, License plate bulb, installed stubby antenna

Installed LED rear taillights, 4xInnovation rock sliders are delivered, and got rear hatch shocks for Xmas from my sons.

Lots of reading so here are some pics...

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Pinched Camshaft position sensor wire.
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Currently searching for wheels. I think I'm going to go up to a 17x9 unsure on offset?

 

[marcus clarkus]

That’s great you got all the service records.

What did your mechanic say about the lower ball joints? I see people post failures almost daily on the Facebook groups “Toyota LBJ Failure Support Group” and other 3rd gen groups. The other day someone had one fail when doing 75mph. I think the occurrence of these failures are probably 100x more common than the pink milkshake.

 

[toverturf]

Welcome to the forums. Nice to see a local Utahn on here. I'd definitely replace the lower ball joints and radiator with OEM if you have don't have service records with those. Good piece of mind knowing the LBJ's and radiator won't fail on you anytime soon. Those were some of the first things I did on mine when I got it.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Pinched Camshaft position sensor wire.
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Currently searching for wheels. I think I'm going to go up to a 17x9 unsure on offset?

Aack, I hate hackjobs. If that wire failed the engine shuts down and won't run since the ECU will cut spark if it gets no signal from it. You'd have to get it towed. That is, if you were in a location that could be accessed by a tow truck. Glad it's back up to speed again. I don't want to ask you what your bill was after all that work from a dealership...

On the topic of the TBU brakes, I did them and they have been great. You'll find your ABS will kick in much less since it takes less brake pressure to apply more stopping force since the pads have a larger surface area and more friction. I would recommend staying with Toyota rotors, pads and going aftermarket with the calipers. The calipers are all reman'd Toyota ones anyway. That formula has worked very well for me. I do plan on changing all 3 rubber brake lines with stainless steel though to get rid of that last bit of squish in the pedal. Actually, that might be a great place to start if that's all you are after.

 

[JustTroItIn]

Your build looks better with every pic. I think you made the right decision removing all the plasti-dip.

 

[Smoke_801]

That’s great you got all the service records.

What did your mechanic say about the lower ball joints? I see people post failures almost daily on the Facebook groups “Toyota LBJ Failure Support Group” and other 3rd gen groups. The other day someone had one fail when doing 75mph. I think the occurrence of these failures are probably 100x more common than the pink milkshake.

Per his service records they just did the LBJs in 2018. He did check to make sure it was what they installed.

I've seen some beefy LBjs around on the forums and may be upgrading those when I do the suspension. Lift, UCA, LBJ

 

[Smoke_801]

Aack, I hate hackjobs. If that wire failed the engine shuts down and won't run since the ECU will cut spark if it gets no signal from it. You'd have to get it towed. That is, if you were in a location that could be accessed by a tow truck. Glad it's back up to speed again. I don't want to ask you what your bill was after all that work from a dealership...

On the topic of the TBU brakes, I did them and they have been great. You'll find your ABS will kick in much less since it takes less brake pressure to apply more stopping force since the pads have a larger surface area and more friction. I would recommend staying with Toyota rotors, pads and going aftermarket with the calipers. The calipers are all reman'd Toyota ones anyway. That formula has worked very well for me. I do plan on changing all 3 rubber brake lines with stainless steel though to get rid of that last bit of squish in the pedal. Actually, that might be a great place to start if that's all you are after.

Yea, I wasn't stoked to get the call stating he found that and text me that pic. Thankfully he was able to get it all back together for the weekend and then was awesome about not charging me full double labor once the CPS got to the shop.

Not a dealership, I've learned that with my years building German cars. Was recommended Coyoda and oddly they were the shop that had worked on with the 1st owner. It was $2k for everything!

2nd owner had the truck for 4 months before I bought it. That's where the hacks came from.

I'm still on the fence but leaning more towards doing the TBU due to what I plan to put on.

Thank you very much for the advice and direction. Love communities like this!!

 

[Smoke_801]

Haven't done much other than enjoying driving it up the canyon for snowboarding. Still haven't installed the rock sliders or rear hatch shocks.

So much is delayed due 2020 and supplies being low, so lead times are extended as probably most are experiencing!?

I did get the front windows tinted to match the rest.

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Also these came in today!! :guitar2:

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Still super undecided on tires, I like the aggressive looking tires but I'm just torn. I'm planning on using the OEM rims for dedicated snows, so that's why I'm undecided. I do go offroad for Fly fishing, Camping etc... But no real rock crawling or anything like that. Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[phattyduck]

Per his service records they just did the LBJs in 2018. He did check to make sure it was what they installed.

I've seen some beefy LBjs around on the forums and may be upgrading those when I do the suspension. Lift, UCA, LBJ

Just make sure they were OEM lower ball joints. Nothing aftermarket is up to standard (unless you are doing full custom uniballs, etc.). It is extra critical since the ball joints are in tension constantly and failures are much worse than on most vehicles.

-Charlie

 

[pharcyde145]

We've got some snow coming to the canyons this weekend fortunately. Hopefully you don't spend too much time caught in the red snake on your way up and/or down. Nice to have new wheels come in!

I've been looking at the Yokohama GeoLandar X-AT (45K warranty), the Toyo Open Country AT III (65K warranty), the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac AT (50K warranty) which are all in the $160-200/tire range but generally have good manners and not too much road noise from the tread design.

For a knobbier tire to get you to those nice fly fishing zones or way out in Cathedral Valley etc., I've been looking at the BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM3 or similar offerings from Toyo Open Country M/T, Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003, Cooper Discoverer ST Maxx and Cooper Evolution M/T. The M/T's are noisier on paved roads and you might not get as much life (miles) out of them, but they sure will grip.

But I'm also looking at 265/70R16 sizes. With your 17" x 9" wheel you might have to go with a skinnier tire, which will limit your choices, or consider adding spacers so you don't get any significant rubbing especially at full wheel lock. I think you're trying to have a minimum of 4 5/8" of backspacing (which should match the stock wheels), but someone with more experience/knowledge can verify this. My experience comes from figuring out the ET I needed for lowered MK2 - MK6 VW's that were going for a flush with the fenders look.

When those Rock Sliders come in is there any chance I could grab some measurements from them, either before or after your install? I'm thinking about fab-ing up a set for myself and have the welding machine and bending ability, but I'd like to have a solid, known point to start from. Anyways, good luck!

 

[Joelzy]

nice 4R, good to see another in the area
Interested in the boosted R as well

 

[cblock406]

Buying tires sucks, I hate going down that rabbit hole. Are you going with 285/70/17's? At least you narrow your selection down some when settle on a size.