Bootboy's 2000 SR5 build thread.

[Bootboy]

Hey guys long time lurker and owner of a '97 sr5 that has been so good to me. 2" bilstein/OME coil lift, 265/75 duratracs. It's been the best car I've ever owned and I've had had zero problems with it in the 80K I've put on it. She's showing her age a little though. I little rattly, which drives me nuts as I drive a lot of dirt roads.

At 227,000 I still get 22mpg and it burns absolutely no oil between changes. The thought of selling it makes me sad but she lacks one thing, a locking diff.

A few weeks ago, I spotted this beauty on the local classifieds. A reasonably clean, Vegas import to Utah, supercharged 2000 with only 148K.
I snatched it up in a hurry. I figured even if I didn't keep it, I could flip it for a quick profit. It needs new LCA bushings, and SC service. But otherwise, it's minty. I love the extra 12v sockets, the center console, the 100% rust free undercarriage, and the rattle free interior. To be honest, I don't really care for the sunroof though.

Well, stupid me, it sat in my driveway, uninsured for a few weeks while I was out of town with my '97. A big windstorm whipped up and blew a tree branch and a basketball hoop onto it. $2,000 worth of paint and body work. F my life.

So I guess I'm stuck with it.

I ordered a shrockworks bumper for my '97 a few months back and it came the other day. I have tundra YY/YB coils for it. Front Tundra bilsteins and rear bilsteins in the mail. Still trying to decide which coils for the rear. I'll be getting a rear bumper for it this fall so that plays into the spring decision.

I'll post here as the build the progresses.

I can't bring myself to take parts off the '97 like the tundra brakes, the lift, the wheels and tires, the stereo, and all the little odds and ends. It runs perfect and it's been the most reliable thing in my life for 9 years. I always knew that the day I said goodbye to that car would be hard but selling it is a lot harder and more emotional than I thought. Hard to let go of the new one though having had it in my possession.

I still toy with the idea of selling the 2000 and just taking the loss but it doesn't make sense.

Follow the drama as it unfolds here over the next few months.

 

[Bootboy]

Bumper came the other day

 

[Bootboy]

Ordered what I need to complete my bilstein based lift.

Toytec superflexes and the 5100's for the rear

Tundra bilsteins for the front with new isolators

Bump stops
Brake lines

SPC/lite racing UCA's will be ordered shortly
panhard drop bracket

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Hey man, welcome to the forum... I guess I should say welcome to being active on the forum. Glad to see somebody come out of the shadows.

I can relate to a lot of what you posted in your intro. I recently sold my '97, which I had owned for 9 years. It was tough to let it go. I had to make it quick so I wouldn't change my mind, so I listed it at a fair price and the first guy that showed up bought it. All I can say is weigh your options carefully.

The squeaks and rattles lend character, but do get annoying on a daily driver. I had a napkin permanently jammed between the dash and windshield to silence a dash rattle on my '97.

As far as your 2000 goes, you could always pull that SC and sell it, or use it on your '97, and maybe it'll put you close to square.

 

[Bootboy]

Thanks bigfish.

I've got a close friend who is very interested in my '97.

I feel like it's a good one. I have all the maintenance records, have never gone over 6k between oil changes. Always used high mileage syn blend. It doesn't leak. it starts, runs, and shifts perfectly. The body is 8/10 and so is the interior. It just doesn't have the locker and the under carriage rust makes it hard to work on. I know it will go to a good home if my friend buys it. Plus, I can visit it if I need to.

It just doesn't make sense to pull the SC off the lower mileage, cleaner, 2000. I just don't have an attachment to it.

Really, it boils down to the locker, undercarriage, and sentiment.

Maybe there's some things that will go with the 97 though, things from the past. I miss it just thinking about selling it though.

I'm a sentimental fool for sure...

The other thing is, putting the bumper on the 2000 means no going back to stock.

The pre 99 runners can go back to the original after a shrockworks. The 99 and up trucks can't because of the extra grinding/cutting. Bumper install is the point of no return...

 

[Bootboy]

Sooooo....

This all showed up yesterday

I'm thinking that with the bumper, to match the superflexes in the rear, my fronts (tundra could and shocks) should be in position 3. Right?

Also, I know its been discussed ad nauseam, but I need input on panhard drop, vs raise, vs adjustable bar. Anyone?

 

[kiana]

I'm gonna love keeping track of this build. Sucks you didn't have insurance on it... I guess next time you know to insure immediately. By the way a lot of insurance policies just automatically cover you for a week right when you purchase a used/new car. Just a heads up for next time.

 

[Bootboy]

Got out the angle grinder and had at it this morning.

Got the bumper brackets mounted up before it got too hot.

I tell ya, if you haven't installed a shrockworks bumper, you're in for a treat. On my 2000, the front frame cross member welds need to be ground down because the brackets are made to very tight tolerances. Unfortunately, the welds you have to grind cannot be reached with a grinder. You have to use a file in a very tight space and it takes a while.

I actually ended up grinding the brackets to clear the welds because it's much easier. I got everything fitted up and will be pulling it all tonight and touching up the paint on the brackets and painting the frame rails where I ground everything off.

Also, be very careful when grindingthe frame end caps. I let the grinder get away from me for half a second and I grazed my trans cooler and put a hole in it. So I'll be buying a new cooler. Oops.

I have an LCA bushing that is total crap right now but I can't get my tie rod end off the LBJ. I beat the snot out of it trying to get it to pop. To no avail. You need to drop the steering rack to get the cam bolts out. Hopefully, I can get the rack low enough to remove the LCA bolts without having to disconnect my tie rid ends.

Also ordered new tires today. Cooper Discoverer ST/Maxx in 255/85 flavor. Hadn't planned on it just yet but discount tire is offering a pretty good rebate with their prepaid credit card right now. Plus they did a price match and will buy the brand new Yokohama prodigies that are on it now. After all is said and done, I'll have 4 cooper ST maxx tires in for $650. Booyah! Deal of the century. That's half of the list price.

It's too hot out now so in the meantime, I'm off to the hardware store to get the hardware I need to install the turn signals. For the mountain of hardware that shrockworks sends you, they don't supply you with the CORRECT hardware to mount the turn signals in the bumper. There's hardware, but it's too big to use without drilling the turn signals AND the bumper. No thanks, I'll just go buy smaller stainless stuff.

Stay tuned...

 

[Bootboy]

LCA out. Holy smokes. It's a chore. You have to unbolt you steering rack, tie rods, shocks, all the awkward stuff. Luckily my neighbor is a Toyota tech. He came over and we chatted while he watched and made sure I didn't crack up too badly.

I guess I'll buy him lunch.

now I need to get the damn bushings out. Any ideas?

https://youtu.be/WZPvm7Fd-KU

I could burn the rubber out, but that seams very unappealing. Tried to heat the a arm itself. No go...

My just go to a shop tomorrow and ask nicely

 

[Bootboy]

A Local shop had the SPC/lite racing UCA's on sale for $389 so I bought them. They had to order them in but they'll be here early next week.

While I've got the steering rack off I'm going to do the bushings. Probably going to do both LBJ's as well since the whole front end is blown up in my driveway.

This heat is oppressive and makes working on things mid-day a no go.

Going to put together the front struts today. Hoping that I get the coils and top hats clocked just right.

Wish me luck

 

[Bootboy]

Done

Not so bad. Pretty sure I got the top hats clocked correctly... If not, I figured out on the workbench that it's not too hard to just use a big ol' screw driver in the shock eye to twist it around to line it all up.

Going to shave my spindles and buy new LBJ's tomorrow.

 

[Bijan]

Follow the drama as it unfolds here over the next few months.

:hurt:


yessir

 

[Bootboy]

:Not the most productive day I've had in the wrenching department, but....

So I dropped my LCA off at my local offroad shop to have the bushings done yesterday. They said they'd be ready today. I rolled in just before closing and they weren't done. The guy at the counter said that the mechanic said it would be a 3 hour job to swap the bushings. At $87/hr shop rate I said "screw that, I'll do it myself". So I took them home and got the bushings out with the bottle jack and a blow torch in 45 minutes. Need to find a press for the new ones though. Meanwhile they sit in my freezer for maximum shrinkage.

I own a small business making climbing gear. So between my real job, sewing climbing gear, and getting ready to go to nursing school, my days are pretty packed. Somehow, I still manage to travel quite a bit too. Hoping to get some of this buttoned up next week before I go out of town

 

[gamefreakgc]

:Not the most productive day I've had in the wrenching department, but....


So I dropped my LCA off at my local offroad shop to have the bushings done yesterday. They said they'd be ready today. I rolled in just before closing and they weren't done. The guy at the counter said that the mechanic said it would be a 3 hour job to swap the bushings. At $87/hr shop rate I said "screw that, I'll do it myself". So I took them home and got the bushings out with the bottle jack and a blow torch in 45 minutes. Need to find a press for the new ones though. Meanwhile they sit in my freezer for maximum shrinkage.

I own a small business making climbing gear. So between my real job, sewing climbing gear, and getting ready to go to nursing school, my days are pretty packed. Somehow, I still manage to travel quite a bit too. Hoping to get some of this buttoned up next week before I go out of town

Sounds like you are single my friend! Ahh, free time... where did it go.

You'll never regret that platform you have. The SC makes these old 4Runners so fun to drive! Kings of the road and the off-road.

 

[Bootboy]

Sounds like you are single my friend! Ahh, free time... where did it go.

You'll never regret that platform you have. The SC makes these old 4Runners so fun to drive! Kings of the road and the off-road.

Single. For better or worse, I suppose. But there's room for two in the 4Runner She's out there...

I spent 41 nights afield (in a tent, under the stars, or in the back of my '97) in April and May. I think my travel habits may have have something to do with me not dating much... I spend a ton of time in the backcountry. I was gone 13 days in June alone.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Haha, yeah it would take a special lady to want to stay out in the woods for 41 days... but you never know!

 

[Bootboy]

So after struggling to find a place that was able to press my bushings for a reasonable price and within a reasonable time frame....

I walked into harbor freight today with my 20% off coupon and walked out with a 12 ton press for $115.
Put it together in 10 minutes and had my new bushings done in about 5.

I figured I can buy the tool and do it myself faster and for equal or less money than another shop. Now I'll be pressing everything in sight, including the bearings in my supercharger.

 

[Bootboy]

So tonight after getting the front buttoned back up, minus the UCA's...

I decided to tackle my supercharger nose rebuild.

I took the whole thing off because I wanted to inspect it all and clean it.

I got frustrated after finding it impossible to get the nut off the shaft to remove the pulley. The nose bearings felt pretty firm and had zero slop so I'm not sure how bad the need replacement right now. If I can get that nut off I'll go ahead and do it before too long.

So I settled for removing and cleaning the rotor assembly and housing, replacing the coupler, and changing the oil. Hopefully that quiets it down a little.

Housing and rotors are in really good shape. Zero wear on the rotor edges and no missing paint. Things were a little gummy though so I wiped it all down with acetone and had it back on the truck in 30 minutes.

I think I'm also going to do a deep clean on all the intake parts distal to the supercharger, i.e. MAF sensor, throttle body, new air filter, etc...

Tires should be here tomorrow

 

[Bootboy]

Between being out of town and sewing orders, the project sat for a few days.

Sorry, no pics but I got my tires mounted and they're sitting on the '97 while I finish the lift on the 2000.

Did upper control arms and power steering rack today. Neither are too bad if you take the time to work smarter and not harder. The worst part is getting the upper ball joints out of the spindles, what a pain.


Anywho, lift should be done and she'll be rolling by the end of the week

 

[Bootboy]

So I Got everything bolted up today. Im exhausted but the suspension is done minus alignment and new panhard bar. She looks incredible but it wont run.

as you know, I opened up and cleaned the SC last week but haven't started it since because I accidentally killed the battery by leaving the keys in it too long.

anyway... I jumped it today and it is super rough on idle and then quits after about 10 seconds. Ive checked all my vacuum connections but the previous owner did some hack work and there are some less than ideal connections.

Headed over to the SC thread for some help.