Justin's '97 Build Thread

bhands

bhands

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Ok this will probably be a slow process but we all have to start somewhere.
So my girlfriend and I had a 4th gen SR5 pretty much stock with about 177k miles. I one day decided I wanted some bigger tires plus the shocks and struts needed to be replaced. After some research on this wonderful site I decided to go with BFG 285/70/17 and a 3 inch spacer lift to produce:
img0133vr.jpg



After 3 days we were hit by a drunk driver head on doing around 35 mph which turned my newly lifted 4Runner into this:
img0134po.jpg


Well after much debate with the insurance they have determined it a loss (I wasn't very happy) but let me keep the brand new tires and we now have this: 1997 SR5 4wd with 142k miles, there is a little rust on the frame though because it originated from Washington state but it will be taken care of this weekend


Current:



So Let the build begin!!!

First thing I installed a Kenwood DDX418 6.1 inch DVD headunit.
174iy.jpg


I also ordered FJ80 8 wraps from Baja Runner. I was pretty excited to find these on my door step today:
171li.jpg


Now I just need to figure out what to do to lift the front so I can put my tires back on:
173op.jpg
 
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Too bad you couldn't get your old 4th gen back. Hard to tell from the pick, but it looks like a new offroad bumper, grill and some pounding and you would have the basis of a sweet offroad machine.
 
Stockwell45 said:
Too bad you couldn't get your old 4th gen back. Hard to tell from the pick, but it looks like a new offroad bumper, grill and some pounding and you would have the basis of a sweet offroad machine.
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There was very minimal damage to the exterior of the vehicle IMO but the interior they said they had to replace like the whole dash and the airbags of course so it was totaled. We figured we will get this '97 for now and when we get the rest of our settlement we can get another 4th gen.
 
Did a few maintenance things to the runner today. New plugs and wires. Tightened up the A/C belt that was squeaking a little and greased up the driveline.

I am curious since I am using front springs from a LC to lift the rear of the runner can I use the front shocks from a LC for the rear of the runner?
 
yes the FRONT LC springs for the REAR of our 4runners, but as for shocks, the REAR LC shocks for the REAR of the 4runner. i got the tokiko trekmasers and they are pretty nice
 
Sorry to hear about your 4th gen. It looked nice, but at least you get your tires and an awesome 97 to build on! :)
 
Another suspension question

I found some 2005 tacoma trd strut assemblies with only 2000 miles on them and was wondering if they will give me any lift? If so what size spacer would I need if I am using LC 8 wraps in the back?

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
Yeah they should, depending on the color codes. If they have two yellow dots on one coil and a yellow and blue dot on the other, then get them. You can add a 1/2" Toytec spacer to lift the front ~2.65-.75". The 8 wraps are going to be taller than any front lift you can safely put on.
 
SCRunner12 said:
Yeah they should, depending on the color codes. If they have two yellow dots on one coil and a yellow and blue dot on the other, then get them. You can add a 1/2" Toytec spacer to lift the front ~2.65-.75". The 8 wraps are going to be taller than any front lift you can safely put on.
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Do you know where I can find info on other color codes? And what do you mean "safely put on"?
 
Once you go past about 3" up front, its harder on your cv's because they are at more of an angle and problems start to arise. I have 8 wraps in he back and trd tundra coils up front. The rear is about 2" taller than the front. Plus I have 5100 adjustable shocks up front, so with just normal shocks I'd be 2.5" taller in the rear than the front. I love the height of the rear, but a smaller coil would probably be better to make it a little more level. (cant bring up the front too much, because dont want to worry about CVs)
 
Zachpins34 said:
Once you go past about 3" up front, its harder on your cv's because they are at more of an angle and problems start to arise. I have 8 wraps in he back and trd tundra coils up front. The rear is about 2" taller than the front. Plus I have 5100 adjustable shocks up front, so with just normal shocks I'd be 2.5" taller in the rear than the front. I love the height of the rear, but a smaller coil would probably be better to make it a little more level. (cant bring up the front too much, because dont want to worry about CVs)
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Thanks for the info. So if I do a front diff drop it would make it a little safer correct?
 
bhands said:
Do you know where I can find info on other color codes? And what do you mean "safely put on"?
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Zach pretty much covered the front issue. People have lifted the front 3.5", but you are more prone to tear/break CV's and with the Tundra coils it will be a stiffer ride to get them to 3.5".

There's not much info on other color codes. 1925taylor1985 is running different color codes and they work great for him. It's important to get TRD coils as they are progressive rate and will provide the most lift.
 
SCRunner12 said:
Zach pretty much covered the front issue. People have lifted the front 3.5", but you are more prone to tear/break CV's and with the Tundra coils it will be a stiffer ride to get them to 3.5".

There's not much info on other color codes. 1925taylor1985 is running different color codes and they work great for him. It's important to get TRD coils as they are progressive rate and will provide the most lift.
Click to expand...

One more thing to clarify if I lift the front 3 inches and use the 8 wraps in the back i will have about 2 inches of rake?
 
That depends on the 8 wraps you get and how much weight you keep in the back. There are 8.25 wraps and 8.75 wraps. If you carry a lot of stuff in the back then they might not be as high. You're probably looking at 1-2" of rake depending on those other factors.
 
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