JFry's Build Thread

[jfry008]

Bought my 08' 4wd SR5 in Feb/2016:

How she sits now with Icon coilovers and MT LT rear:

Bought it in MD...$14000...114,000 mi..craigslist

How she sat with bilstein 5100s, moog fj springs, and 1.5" daystar spacer:

Started getting her up to date on maintenance:
-Bridgestones off of a new 2016 4Runner w/ <100 miles (craigslist $400 mounted and balanced)
-F&R diffs, x-fer case w/ mobil 1 synthetic gear oil (the old oil had never been changed..smh)
-OEM engine & in-cabin air filters (the old ones were filthy..the incabin was like a tray full of leaves..couldnt see the filter)
-Greased drive shafts, CV-2 Redline red moly (probably never done before..black goo oozed out)
-transmission full drain and refill, 12qts ATF WS, eBay $89
(Drain and refill write up ATF Exchange (using the cooling line) - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum)
-spark plugs, denzo oem, eBay
-cleaned & greased sunroof (white lithium grease)
-greased all hinges and locks (white lithium grease)
-OEM PCV (cheap insurance)
-both front hub assemblies from [MENTION=100129]nj636[/MENTION] (my front left bearing was bad so I went ahead and changed both)

***PRO TIP rent a 3-arm gear puller from autoparts store to pull the old hubs**

Then added a few simple mods:
-LEDs in interior and exterior, bright white (had to drill out the license plate bulb cover screws, heads just fell apart from rust)
-LEDs for gage cluster and everything else
-Black WeatherTech FloorLiners, front and middle
-Black weathertech cargo liner
-(removed)USB console charger, thanks to [MENTION=114846]Bluesky 07[/MENTION] Adding a Console USB Power Port to my 2007 Sport - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum
-added smoker kit ($25 eBay)
-rear diff breather

-JL 10W3V3 on a 500/1 w/bass knob..on a 0ga wire to a distribution block...gives me options if I need power in the rear for anything else

-got the 2013 TE rims on craigslist for $330..guy had them in storage..practically brand new. Got them mounted with new TPMS service kits.

Then I started researching a economical lift (what I thought was going to be economical lol) decided on:
-FJ Moog springs front and rear ~$110 rock auto
-Bilstein 5100s front and rear $330 shipped from http://downsouthmotorsports.com/i-8...le-shocks-03-2009-w-optional-rear-shocks.html
-Daystar 1.5" rear spacer $40 amazon
-Energy suspension poly control arm bushings, rockauto $80
-Wanna-be Camburg UCAs eBay $235 shipped
-new OEM camber bolts, $130 (anti-seized the crap out of them)
-KYB top hats, rockauto $42
-Icon sway bar spacers, $40 eBay


Removing old rubber LCA bushings, let the torch do the work then rubber comes out easy

Camburg wanna-be UCAs, i still need to put a grease fitting in the ball joints. I like how every joint on it has a grease fitting. Also, the bushing grease that came with the Energy Suspension bushings is ridiculously sticky..way more viscous than the grease that came with the UCAs..so I used the thick stuff for all bushings

A few road blocks on the road to a lifted runner:
1. Seized nut on driver side strut (top), sawzaw time

You can see that the top part completely twisted trying to remove the nut

2. Driver side UCA ball joint nut stripped out, sawzaw time:

3. I went ahead and hacked off the top nuts on both rear struts, they were being a pain in the you know what..I guess all those years of being driven in the salted MD roads took their toll...because I PB Blasted the bolts 5 times over a 3 week period..sheesh

I was pretty impressed with these blades..I only used 1 to cut through everything mentioned.
DEWALT Reciprocating Saw Blades, 8-Inch, 14/18TPI, 5-Pack (DWA4188) - Sawzall Blades - Amazon.com

Ebay wannabe Camburgs installed, also Moog FJ springs and 5100's @ 2.5"

4/40/16 (with bilstein 5100s, top notch, 1.5" rear spacers, FJ 4x4 springs)
LF 24.5"
RF 24.5"
LR 25.5"
RR 25.5"

2/2/17 (with bilstein 5100s, top notch, FJ 4x4 springs in front & metaltech LT in rear)
LF 24"
RF 24"
LR 26"
RR 26"

--Wish list--
-component speakers all around?

 

[djc1977]

Looks great!! I just picked up my 08 2 weeks ago. Its a 2WD but basically looked just like yours stock. Was it hard to install that USB Console charger?

 

[jfry008]

[MENTION=137276]djc1977[/MENTION] http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/208608-adding-console-usb-power-port-my-2007-sport.html
Very easy since I had all the stuff except the plug that I had to buy from amazon. I would definitely sand it a little and spray it with a matte black paint..makes it have a cleaner, stock look imo

 

[4RunninMD]

Do You have the listing in ebay where you found those control arms? I did my lift last night and had to hack off all the top nuts on the struts as well. Nice start to your build thread. [emoji1360]

 

[tannerk15]

Looks like you are off to a great start. I have almost the exact same lift setup. I love the look of the FJ 8-hole wheels.

 

[jfry008]

Do You have the listing in ebay where you found those control arms? I did my lift last night and had to hack off all the top nuts on the struts as well. Nice start to your build thread. [emoji1360]

2003 2009 Toyota 4Runner 2007 2014 FJ Cruiser Upper Control Arms 2WD 4WD | eBay

Thanks man!

I used a drill bit to remove the paint inside the zerk fitting holes for the bushings...it allowed me to thread the zerks easier.
Also, I used sand paper to sand down the paint a little on the contact surface on the control arms, where the ball joints press in..made pressing them in easier.
The balljoints have a hole for a zerk fitting but the kit only comes with 4 zerk fittings...4 for the bushing holes, so you'll need to purchase 2 more zerk fittings for the ball joints.
I used the Camburg instructions since the eBay UCAs are basically the same.
http://camburg.com/store/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/05_Taco-FJ_BJ_uca.pdf

 

[4RunninMD]

Awesome thanks! Your the second person I've read about on here with these so i might give them a try.

 

[jfry008]

Handling waaaaayyyyy better now, however, before I could get out of the dealership parking lot my VSC and Traction control lights came in. Took it back to them..codes were read C0200 C1223 C1290
I drove the truck Saturday Sunday and Monday morning after the lift with no lights in...then after alignment lights. I guess I'll try zero point calibration when I get some free time fml

 

[tranmd]

Handling waaaaayyyyy better now, however, before I could get out of the dealership parking lot my VSC and Traction control lights came in. Took it back to them..codes were read C0200 C1223 C1290
I drove the truck Saturday Sunday and Monday morning after the lift with no lights in...then after alignment lights. I guess I'll try zero point calibration when I get some free time fml

I'm in need of UCA. I would love to hear more feedback and review from you. Ease of installation? All parts / bushings fit well without modification like the uniball version? My alignment is out of whack and local shop tried 4 time and they gave up and refunded my money cause they can't get within spec.

 

[jfry008]

I'm in need of UCA. I would love to hear more feedback and review from you. Ease of installation? All parts / bushings fit well without modification like the uniball version? My alignment is out of whack and local shop tried 4 time and they gave up and refunded my money cause they can't get within spec.

Everything fit very well. I believe these UCAs will only help with castor. Toe and camber adjustments are done else where..like camber bolts..tie rods. The reason my initial alignment numbers were so bad was because I changed the camber bolts and did not but them back to their original setting. I don't know much about alignment stuff though..I just understand the general concepts.
In regards to fit, everything fit nice and tight. Like I explained above, I had to sand a little paint with 150 grit sandpaper in the balljoint and zerk fitting contact areas..the paint will make the tolerances tighter. Might be able to add heat instead of sanding paint but I didn't want to torch on the pretty UCAs lol.
When I installed the ball joint, I: removed the rubber boot(slides off), sanded contact surface on UCA, pressed in ball joint(rented ball joint press kit from advance auto), installed slip ring, then reinstalled rubber boot. For everything else I followed these instructions. (weird that the link to these instructions are not working anymore on the camburg website..)

 

[jfry008]

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[jfry008]

Handling waaaaayyyyy better now, however, before I could get out of the dealership parking lot my VSC and Traction control lights came in. Took it back to them..codes were read C0200 C1223 C1290
I drove the truck Saturday Sunday and Monday morning after the lift with no lights in...then after alignment lights. I guess I'll try zero point calibration when I get some free time fml

Performed zero point calibration and lights have cleared..fingers crossed.

I'm liking the lift a lot. Body roll is greatly reduced. Suspension is stiffer but I'm accustomed to that..since my previous vehicle was a G35 manual coupe w/ sports suspension

 

[AVG_Joe]

The lift came out great! Did you have any trouble getting the FJ Moogs to sit flush in the rear perch?

Also, do you still have the stock five spokes?

 

[jfry008]

I sold my old rims. The rear coils didn't sit fully down into the carriers. I wish I would of know that before purchasing them. I'll probably get some super flexes if I start to lose sleep over the FJs.

 

[av8ter]

Looks like the tech burned you with a toe&go. Got any pictures of where the alignment cams are at now? Both caster and camber are adjusted with the two cams on each lower arm.

 

[jfry008]

Looks like the tech burned you with a toe&go. Got any pictures of where the alignment cams are at now? Both caster and camber are adjusted with the two cams on each lower arm.

It's dark out now..ill take some in the morning. The guy who aligned it was a douche. I told him my steering wheel was a little crooked and he rode with me and pretty much refused to fix it. I had to do the zero point calibration myself. Not going back to Charles Barker Toyota in VB.

 

[blackoutt]

Don't feel bad, I've had this alignment experience before too. Gotten into it with a few guys on here who were saying I was being too picky for my own good but come on now, if I paid for it I better get it...

 

[jfry008]

Just checked my oil level from when it was changed at the dealer when I did my alignment. I brought my own 6qts and a Toyota filter. I'm pretty sure the tech put in all 6 qts...my level is a good amount over the full mark smh

 

[tranmd]

Was installing these UCA fairly easy? Just gauging to see if I can knock these out on a Saturday. I'm fairly mechanically inclined. Just strapped for time with my work schedule. Need special tools?

 

[dkyleb]

Was installing these UCA fairly easy? Just gauging to see if I can knock these out on a Saturday. I'm fairly mechanically inclined. Just strapped for time with my work schedule. Need special tools?

UCA install is very easy. Just need a good hammer or a BJ separator to get the BJ out of the spindle. You'll have to take the battery out on the driver side. Don't gotta remove the air box though.