fo' runnin'
New member
Got all new exhaust yesterday!
2nd gen multi-purpose build for daily driving, offroading, and overlanding
- Thread starter fo' runnin'
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fo' runnin'
New member
Did a big trip in the Ozark National Forest over this past weekend. It was a blast!
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fo' runnin'
New member
Somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000 and they still look brand new! Hardly any wear at all!!!
fo' runnin'
New member
Well, I got my cheapo deapo lift installed over the weekend! I went with 4crawler 1.5" ball joint spacers up front and a pair of *modified* 5th gen 4runner coils out back. These parts ended up lifting it about 2.5" up front and 3.5" out back.
Ball Joint spacers from 4crawler. These guys were easy to work with and shipped quickly, although their site is a bit of a nightmare to navigate...
BJ Spacers and new OEM upper ball joints...
Panhard drop bracket from 4cralwer. I opted for the 4" drop bracket.
Comparison shot of factory coil versus 5th gen coil. A friend of mine gave me his factory coils for free after he installed a lift on his 5th gen. The 5th gen coils are about an inch taller when just sitting on the floor and are notably heavier and stiffer. The 5th gen coils WILL NOT just swap right in like FJ80 coils will. They will need to be modified. The bottom coil, which sits on top of the axle, will need to be heated up and then opened up some so it will fit around the spring perch. We just did this with a torch and took our time, slowly heating up a little area then opening it up just a little each time, till we got them to fit perfectly. Only about 3/4ths of the very last coil was heated, so I am in no way worried about the integrity of the spring being compromised from being super-heated.
Panhard drop bracket installed...
When I got the front finished up, I noticed a pretty big problem that I've never seen noted anywhere on the forums or any place else on the internet. After installing the BJ Spacers, the inside of my tires now just barely touch the upper control arm. To remedy this I guess I will run a set of 1/4" thick aluminum wheel spacers and I'm also going to shave down the lip on the control arm just a little. I don't really like this, but that's about my only option unless I buy different wheels, which I'm not able to do right now.
No, that is not a gouge in the sidewall of the tire, it's just where the control arm rubbed the dirt off of the tire from barely touching.
I will post better pics of the installed BJ spacers when I pull the wheels off again to install the 1/4" spacers.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with this setup and I only have $140 invested in this lift!
Here is an after shot...
and here is a before vs. after shot... after is on bottom...
Ball Joint spacers from 4crawler. These guys were easy to work with and shipped quickly, although their site is a bit of a nightmare to navigate...
BJ Spacers and new OEM upper ball joints...
Panhard drop bracket from 4cralwer. I opted for the 4" drop bracket.
Comparison shot of factory coil versus 5th gen coil. A friend of mine gave me his factory coils for free after he installed a lift on his 5th gen. The 5th gen coils are about an inch taller when just sitting on the floor and are notably heavier and stiffer. The 5th gen coils WILL NOT just swap right in like FJ80 coils will. They will need to be modified. The bottom coil, which sits on top of the axle, will need to be heated up and then opened up some so it will fit around the spring perch. We just did this with a torch and took our time, slowly heating up a little area then opening it up just a little each time, till we got them to fit perfectly. Only about 3/4ths of the very last coil was heated, so I am in no way worried about the integrity of the spring being compromised from being super-heated.
Panhard drop bracket installed...
When I got the front finished up, I noticed a pretty big problem that I've never seen noted anywhere on the forums or any place else on the internet. After installing the BJ Spacers, the inside of my tires now just barely touch the upper control arm. To remedy this I guess I will run a set of 1/4" thick aluminum wheel spacers and I'm also going to shave down the lip on the control arm just a little. I don't really like this, but that's about my only option unless I buy different wheels, which I'm not able to do right now.
No, that is not a gouge in the sidewall of the tire, it's just where the control arm rubbed the dirt off of the tire from barely touching.
I will post better pics of the installed BJ spacers when I pull the wheels off again to install the 1/4" spacers.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with this setup and I only have $140 invested in this lift!
Here is an after shot...
and here is a before vs. after shot... after is on bottom...
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Beanzermin
New member
I was gonna order BJ spacers after the holidays. Glad to see this thread. I'll be ordering some spacers too. My tires just barely clear the control arms now!
Scalded_Dawg
New member
I didn't have the tire rub issue until I switched to the Tacoma sport rims (different backspacing).
Free rear coils = WINNING! Nice write-up on those.
Free rear coils = WINNING! Nice write-up on those.
Scalded_Dawg
New member
What exhaust and tube size did you go with? I need to do the same very soon...
fo' runnin'
New member
Glad it helped!
These are the factory wheels and they didn't rub before the BJ spacers, I guess they changed the geometry of the front end just enough to make them barely rub. I never even bothered to look at upper control arm clearance before the BJ spacers, but I bet it wasn't much!
It's all just stock size and a factory muffler. I think it was 2 1/4" tubing and a factory style single in/single out muffler.
LedFloyd900
New member
Awesome thread man! I live in the Tulsa area as well, we should go wheeling some time! I'm slowly making my way thru an engine swap (hardly any free time between school and work) so anyone that wants some experience with a 3VZE feel free to come help! :becky:
gigerunner
New member
Any chance you took an overall measurement of those coils? Great build thread by the way!
fo' runnin'
New member
Thanks man! That's awesome! There aren't too many of us around here. lol My buddies and I are planning on doing some wheeling in Feb sometime, so maybe you could tag along with us on that! What engine are you swapping in!?
I didn't. :/ Sorry!
fo' runnin'
New member
Couple pics I snapped last night after getting the shocks and wheel spacers installed! I went with the "Gabriel 77479 MAX CONTROL Monotube Shock Absorbers", got them off Amazon, paid $80 for the pair.
Snapped this today... not sure if it's the uneven ground, or if I'm riding bro style... lol I think it may need to come down just a hair in the front.
Snapped this today... not sure if it's the uneven ground, or if I'm riding bro style... lol I think it may need to come down just a hair in the front.
gigerunner
New member
Fo' runnin'
I think/hope I got the right ones Moog 6021 15" unloaded and 628lb load capacity. Keep up the good work!
I think/hope I got the right ones Moog 6021 15" unloaded and 628lb load capacity. Keep up the good work!
fo' runnin'
New member
I am not sure on that, buddy! I know others on here have ordered Moog springs before, but don't know the part numbers! Mine were factory coils on my buddies 5th gen, which were taken out and tossed to the side when a lift was installed on my buddies 5th gen, so he gave them to me and I modified them to work on the 2nd gens.
LedFloyd900
New member
Alright I definetely will man, and it's a remanufactured 3VZE bored .30 over and has oversized cams, so it's SUPPOSED to be putting out 40 more horse and torque...we'll find out as soon as I can get that ******* bell housing lined up!
I love this thing. I just bought a 94 and it's the same color and i have the same problem with faded paint, what do you use to restore the color?Current mods:
- Cobra 19 DX IV with 4' Firestik II and 5w PA speaker
- Reese Carrypower UVenture Rooftop Cargo Basket with extra middle section and custom mounts which eliminate the need for the factory crossbars
- 33x10.50 BF Goodrich KM2 Mud Terrain tires on stock wheels (painted black)
- Rear bumper coated in bed liner
Most recent photo!!!
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Hey guys, I'm new here! My name is Taylor, I'm 24, father of 2, and I am a videographer/photographer. I live in Tulsa, OK and have been here my entire life. I love to camp, hunt, adventure, and volunteer my time with my local Boy Scouts troop!
I bought my current 4runner a couple months back (this is my 2nd 4Runner) and have been drawing up plans for it ever since... Although I haven't achieved much with it yet as far as modifying goes, I've been having a blast with it and plan on getting the mod ball rolling soon!
When I bought it the beast was 100% stock and had 213,000 miles. I picked her up for a cool $1800 with the only problem being a bad exhaust leak and it was in need of new brakes. It's a 1992 V6 auto SR5 and it came factory with the 31" tire option and 4.88 gearing.
I've got a LOT of stuff I would love to do to her, but my next modification will be a set of 1.5" BJ spacers up front with a torsion crank and a set of 901HD Old Man Emu coils out back along with the appropriate relocation/drop brackets for the panhard bar and brake equalizer. This mild lift will hold me over until I can source all the parts and money to do a SAS. Also, eventually, I want to ditch the 3vz dog of a motor and drop in a 5.3/4l60e Chevy combo, but that is way down the road...
I want this vehicle to be able to confidently handle just about anything I throw at it, but still retain daily drive-ability, so I won't be going too radical with it. I am also aiming for this to be an overland adventure/expedition type of vehicle, so my boys and I can camp out of it comfortably. I'm looking to put a snorkel on it, basket rack on the roof, rock sliders, custom front and rear bumpers, winch, lockers, and all the goodies you normally see on an overland vehicle...
Enough talk... Here she is as of now... Only modifications so far has been a set of 33x10.50x15 BF Goodrich Mud Terrain KM2s and a fresh coat of paint for the factory wheels... (I started buffing the paint but haven't finished yet as you can tell in the pics)
fo' runnin'
New member
Thanks man! I use Meguiars cleaner wax and a 6" buffer pad attached to my hand drill! Simple and cheap! It shines up nice with a little elbow grease!
fo' runnin'
New member
Post #51 covers the custom basket mounts. I simply used 2 pieces of angle bolted together in opposite directions. They mount to the roof using the factory hardware and mount to the basket using the hardware that came with the basket! If you need better pics, let me know!
POST #51 - ROOF RACK MOUNTS
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