Another from NJ
- Thread starter EdL04Sport
- Start date
Heavikevi508
New member
checking in from Philly
or just outside to the west...
or just outside to the west...
16Runnerguy
New member
Neptune City, NJ checking in for the first time.
Edison, NJ here. Just picked up a 96 sr5 manual trans a few weeks ago. Been steadily fixing up a lot of basics. This truck is just too easy to work on.
I must have done 20 different things already, because each afternoon I can do something start to finish in a couple hours and never have to take the truck half apart and disable it for days. So it's like a pleasure to buy just the parts needed for $200 and spend only a couple hours working on something, and it's all done and the truck is back in service right away. It's like instant gratification. And upgrades without the cost of paying a mechanic or the usual amount of work doing it yourself. "Just buy a part and bolt it on? That's it? How the hell come GM makes that into an 8 hour job that needs 2 one-time use parts that once ypu put them in uou can't take it back apart without having another new pair of those parts, and a special tool that only does one job for one engine and you have to get it from a dealer, who's closed...?"
Last night it was rear springs. Put new OME 890's in right in the driveway, didn't even need to unhook half the stuff the videos say, didn't even have a spring compressor. I think I might possibly have worked harder on an oil change before haha.
Before that it was lower ball joints and outer tie rod ends. Did those right in the driveway in a few hours too.
I don't know what the magic is exactly, but I'm just generally used to working harder and being more annoyed, and so the last several years I've just been paying a local shop. But for whatever reason on this thing I'm doing most things myself and loving it.
I think it just doesn't have that disease that so many vehicles have now, where it's 327 steps to change the thermostat, and way deep in the middle one of those steps is some stupid critical and tricky one and you can't tell if it is right until it's allllll back together and it makes a funny noise, which means it has to come allllll back apart again...
Here's a simple example:
The clutch slave on this truck is $32, bolts right to the outside of the tranny, and has a bleeder just like brakes.
The clutch slave on my Saturn Sky is $170, is *inside* the bell housing, and can't be bled or flushed. Gravity might let air rise up to the master eventually, but you still can't flush out old fluid with new. Which doubly nice because it's the same reservoir as the brakes. So nasty old brake fluid from the clutch always corrupts and degrades your brand new fancy expensive dot4 fluid you're trying to flush the system with...ugh.. and on top of all that is mechanics pay, because I'm not separating the bell housing in my driveway.
If you see a 3rd gen around NJ with a little bit of lift, and completely blacked out with some kind of undercoating or bedliner looking paint, that's me.
I must have done 20 different things already, because each afternoon I can do something start to finish in a couple hours and never have to take the truck half apart and disable it for days. So it's like a pleasure to buy just the parts needed for $200 and spend only a couple hours working on something, and it's all done and the truck is back in service right away. It's like instant gratification. And upgrades without the cost of paying a mechanic or the usual amount of work doing it yourself. "Just buy a part and bolt it on? That's it? How the hell come GM makes that into an 8 hour job that needs 2 one-time use parts that once ypu put them in uou can't take it back apart without having another new pair of those parts, and a special tool that only does one job for one engine and you have to get it from a dealer, who's closed...?"
Last night it was rear springs. Put new OME 890's in right in the driveway, didn't even need to unhook half the stuff the videos say, didn't even have a spring compressor. I think I might possibly have worked harder on an oil change before haha.
Before that it was lower ball joints and outer tie rod ends. Did those right in the driveway in a few hours too.
I don't know what the magic is exactly, but I'm just generally used to working harder and being more annoyed, and so the last several years I've just been paying a local shop. But for whatever reason on this thing I'm doing most things myself and loving it.
I think it just doesn't have that disease that so many vehicles have now, where it's 327 steps to change the thermostat, and way deep in the middle one of those steps is some stupid critical and tricky one and you can't tell if it is right until it's allllll back together and it makes a funny noise, which means it has to come allllll back apart again...
Here's a simple example:
The clutch slave on this truck is $32, bolts right to the outside of the tranny, and has a bleeder just like brakes.
The clutch slave on my Saturn Sky is $170, is *inside* the bell housing, and can't be bled or flushed. Gravity might let air rise up to the master eventually, but you still can't flush out old fluid with new. Which doubly nice because it's the same reservoir as the brakes. So nasty old brake fluid from the clutch always corrupts and degrades your brand new fancy expensive dot4 fluid you're trying to flush the system with...ugh.. and on top of all that is mechanics pay, because I'm not separating the bell housing in my driveway.
If you see a 3rd gen around NJ with a little bit of lift, and completely blacked out with some kind of undercoating or bedliner looking paint, that's me.
Well now I know what to say after I rob a bank and they pick me up based on the vehicle description.
I live around the corner from Pantagis diner. I go to that new coffee shop down the street from there a lot.
Actually, I have a yellow saturn sky with black 777 on the side, so I was thinking I might just have to put yellow 777 on the side of the 4runner. So we wouldn't be identical any more. I even got the yellow plastidip already.
16Runnerguy
New member
Meetup?
Would anyone be interested in a meet up anytime soon? I'm starting my roof rack build tomorrow and should be done by the weekend. More mods to come when I can afford them.
Would anyone be interested in a meet up anytime soon? I'm starting my roof rack build tomorrow and should be done by the weekend. More mods to come when I can afford them.
16Runnerguy
New member
Light off roading
Let's get together, not sure where to test my stock for now runner. I'm right off of Sylvania Ave in Neptune City.
Let's get together, not sure where to test my stock for now runner. I'm right off of Sylvania Ave in Neptune City.
camp332
New member
Central New Jersey New Guy
Hey guys, just joined the madness of modding our old 4-Runner. For now, I'm all show with a spacer lift, but I'm doing plenty of research for a "real" lift in the future.
Anyway, I'm in South Brunswick twp. Old school Raceway Park motocross guy.
Danny
Hey guys, just joined the madness of modding our old 4-Runner. For now, I'm all show with a spacer lift, but I'm doing plenty of research for a "real" lift in the future.
Anyway, I'm in South Brunswick twp. Old school Raceway Park motocross guy.
Danny
lipek
New member
Just saw this, a week too late lol. I went last Saturday, it wasn't as muddy I thought it was going to be.
foxrider56
New member
since you're from new Jersey, where the heck do you go for the pine barrens to offroad at? i see all these youtube videos but don't know where you go all i know is its in new jersey. also do you need anything special so you don't get in trouble
lipek
New member
Pine Barrens is a system of state forests in south jersey, Wharton State Forest being the largest one. There are a bunch of forest roads that I use some are maintained som are not. Main thing is to pay attention to the signs as some roads are closed at random.
SilversportV8
New member
CF_Machete
Senior Member
Can anyone recommend a NJ shop that will do alignments on lifted trucks. Preferably in the Raritan/ Bridgewater/ Somerville area?
Might not the best/ right place to post this, so mods feel free to move.
Might not the best/ right place to post this, so mods feel free to move.
