Help Me Blow $1,000!

[Kanger328]

Just sold my previous rig ('98 Ford Explorer w/ 226,000 miles) and have about $1,000 I'd like to play with on the Runner. Thought it'd be fun to get some feedback on what y'all think I should do...

Before I get too excited, I must note that I have a small puff of white smoke when I first start the rig in the morning, which smells like antifreeze. I have minimal coolant loss in the reservoir with no noticeable leaks. Guessing it's the head gasket. With that said...

My Options:

1) Engine maintenance. Diagnose and fix aforementioned issue and change spark plugs and wires. If it is head gasket or cracked heads, seems like it's an expensive fix according to people's posts.

2) LIFT! This is what I want to do. I'm leaning towards the Complete OME Lift for 3" front and rear. Along with this I would replace the lower ball joints.

3) Tires/Rims/Big Brakes. Already have Tundra rotors, but still need calipers and pads. This would require bigger rims, so I'd want a set of black MT Classic II's with slightly bigger than stock all-terrains.

4) Add rock sliders. I like the Savage Offroad w/ kickouts. Also, reupholster 2 front seats. They are in HORRIBLE shape. Do interior LED swap, whip antenna mod.

Some options may seem like an odd grouping, but I wanted to keep the prices to around or below $1,000. I will eventually do all of these, but prob won't finish for awhile. Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

As she sits now:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22443523@N08/8366473984/" title="_DSC8839 by Kanger328, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8508/8366473984_d951c15ace.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="_DSC8839"></a>

 

[4Runnin Tahoe]

Lift now, maintenance later :banana:
If you have $1000 to spend, it sounds like you can do a lift and around $250-$300 of maintenance. Just spend wisely.

 

[KidVermicious]

Maintenance now. No question. Do it yourself and you'll have more money for tires and brakes. THEN armor, THEN lift.

 

[Singtoe]

snorkel....

 

[Doc2012]

Think of it this way:

If you had money to blow, would you rather spend it on a "check-up" to make sure you were going to live longer, or would you rather buy new clothes you might not live to wear?

I'm NOT saying your 4Runner is going to sh!t the bed. Or you for that matter.

All I'm simply saying is to check the heart of the truck, then go from there.

Think of the truck like a living, breathing entity.

Start with the heart of the being first, then go with the tattoos.

:girl:

 

[ridefast]

gosh this is a no brainer to me. Maintenance

No sense in puttin goodies on your truck if you need critical maintenance that could end the life of your truck if not done.

If you have the ability to do the maintenance yourself you will have just enough for some sweet sliders!!!

do as much maintenance you can now so you dont have to worry about it later!!!

 

[BlackCat914]

hookers and blow. In that order.

 

[Dan.3]

hookers and blow. In that order.

^^^x2

 

[smallfry]

Maintenance.

 

[Rudy97]

Think of it this way:

If you had money to blow, would you rather spend it on a "check-up" to make sure you were going to live longer, or would you rather buy new clothes you might not live to wear?

I'm NOT saying your 4Runner is going to sh!t the bed. Or you for that matter.

All I'm simply saying is to check the heart of the truck, then go from there.

Think of the truck like a living, breathing entity.

Start with the heart of the being first, then go with the tattoos.

:girl:

Says the man building a drawer system for the truck he can't even drive legally :bolt:


That being said, I do agree... Maintenance definitely

 

[Kanger328]

hookers and blow. In that order.

snorkel....

LOL.

Thanks for the responses everyone. Maintenance def makes more sense. I guess I'll take it in to the shop just to confirm what the issue is and consider doing the work myself. Saw the head gasket replacement thread, looks like a BIG job.

Thanks, especially, to BlackCat and Singtoe for their words of wisdom. HA!

 

[bikerjosh]

Ummm, no brainer. Fix/diagnose the engine. If any funds are left, hookers and speed (you likely won't have enough for any amount of blow, especially if it's a head gasket):frog:
Putting a lift on, etc will be a bummer if it's sitting in the driveway after the engine craps the bed.

 

[Doc2012]

Says the man building a drawer system for the truck he can't even drive legally :bolt:


That being said, I do agree... Maintenance definitely

Hey Hey Hey...

She drives just fine. I have no problems, other than the damn P0125 Code.

And I know exactly what it is. I need either the wiring diagrams, or a '99 Harness to fix it.

Sooooooooooooooo.....

:jump:

 

[Brian757]

Lift now, maintenance later :banana:
If you have $1000 to spend, it sounds like you can do a lift and around $250-$300 of maintenance. Just spend wisely.

Bahaha! Too funny. You cannot put those two suggestions in one comment! They completely contradict one another!

Explain to me this, if he does his lift now and maintenance later, imagine how stupid he will feel being a broken down lifted 4runner on the side of the road. Reminds me of the Impala's on 22's sitting on the side of the road, but I expect it from them...

I say do maintenance and then do a full inspection of your vehicle. There is no doubt that other parts that are going to fail at around 100,000-180,000 miles. Be prepared. Once you lift your vehicle, you will throw off the suspension a bit and will then have to replace ball joints, tie rods, sway bar links, etc.(Also, due to time) I don't know if you've done spark plugs and wires.. Basically all maintenance work. You want to make sure it'll live long enough to be worth the investments. You will most likely be good to go.

 

[20034RunnerV84x2]

Maintenance. It's a no brainier.

 

[Hepar]

Another vote for the maintenance.

 

[cj80cruiser]

With the smell of antifreeze on start up I would be doing maintenance first. You can find nice used suspension lifts on here, ttora, and Tacoma world all the time. Buy one piece at a time and it wont break the bank.

 

[Skidmarcx]

I'll throw in a vote for the suspension lift... doing maintenance doesn't seem like a good way to "blow" $1,000

 

[fish0281]

If this $1k is the only money you're going to spend (vs. "fun" fund), get the maintenance done. It sounds like your engine is on the way to some bigger problems, fix it now while it's cheap (i.e., not a rebuild).

That being said, if you have already allocated money to fix the head gasket (or whatever is the cause to your maintenance woes), I'd use the money for a lift.