New to me T4R from Bay Area!

[toy yoda]

After months of trolling this site, I'm so stoked to have finally picked up my first truck, a 1999 T4R Highlander 5spd black on grey. I've been driving low cars all my life and decided its time to take a break from all that. Here she is:

I have some questions for any knowledgable bay area people, I would like to get a small body lift just to add a tiny bit of clearance for the tires...
1.) are there any recommended truck shops around San Jose? and
2.) how much does it cost to install a body lift typically? Id try to do it myself, but I don't want to mess it up.

Thanks for any help, I'm stoked to finally be part of the club haha.

 

[thorridder]

dang thats nice, nice tires and interior

welcome to the world of the T4R

 

[alaskaman]

Welcome.....prepare for adventure!

 

[SCRunner12]

Is that the one with 285's? I saw that on craigslist, but it was too rich for my blood. Congrats. Nice to see another person close by.

 

[toytruck]

man, that is clean! welcome..

 

[KSWAY]

Congrats, nice rig. What size tires?

 

[four flusher]

nice runner

welcome, nice rig, I went with the toytec ultimate, cost $350 for installation, which included an alignment, love black!

 

[fightman80]

Welcome! Great looking rig man!:hello:

 

[98SC488]

welcome to the club! Nice truck, cant wait to see it lifted. See you around the bay.

 

[98_4runnerSR5]

welcome, nice rig, I went with the toytec ultimate, cost $350 for installation, which included an alignment, love black!

Damn! That's a lot. :wow2: My local off-road shop is doing my Toytec Ultimate kit Friday for $230 w/ Alignment and I thought that was a bit pricey. I have a 1'' body lift but am holding off on it cause that's gonna cost $200 itself to install. Shop said it's a pain in the butt to do.

 

[t4r4life]

nice brah welcome to the bayarea runner club lol

 

[blcktpgsr]

I have a 1'' body lift but am holding off on it cause that's gonna cost $200 itself to install. Shop said it's a pain in the butt to do.

Trust me it's not as bad to install as they make it sound. It can be abit intimidating for DIYers, but with good instructions to follow and time on your hands, you can save some shop labor costs and learn in the end.

I did mine myself without prior experience, 5 hours from start to finish.

 

[fattirerider]

Nice ride!

Instead of a body lift I would do some triming in the front and extend the bumpstops in the rear. I don't care much for body lifts but many use them so its up to you.

 

[SCRunner12]

If its the same 4runner I saw in the craigslist ad then a body or suspension lift will be necessary. The previous owner just threw the 285's on with the 99 tall suspension, so it would rub a lot at any flex.

 

[toy yoda]

If its the same 4runner I saw in the craigslist ad then a body or suspension lift will be necessary. The previous owner just threw the 285's on with the 99 tall suspension, so it would rub a lot at any flex.

Yea, I bought it planning on further lifting it, hence the questions about body lifts. I'm just looking for a place to get it done. I'm over doing the work my self. To much time, too much frustration to be worth it. I'd try it if I got a hand from someone who knows what they're doing, but alas I have no truck friends.

Thanks to everyone else for the welcomes!

 

[SCRunner12]

Well you should ask for some help on this site. I'm sure plenty of people would be willing to help out. Congrats on the buy btw!

 

[toy yoda]

SC, on the other hand, the problems associated with bumper alignment etc with body lifts, kind of make me just want to skip to a 3" OME lift since I already have the bilstein shocks. Until then, I don't plan on any offroading and should be fine with my setup. Correct me if I'm wrong, of course. :thanks:

 

[toy yoda]

Well you should ask for some help on this site. I'm sure plenty of people would be willing to help out. Congrats on the buy btw!

Are you offering lol, I don't know anyone so it'll be hard getting what I need done, when I need it done. Like I said, I'm swaying towards the lift kit anyways. Do you have any suggestions on shops that can install?

 

[SCRunner12]

Well as of right now I don't have a 3rd gen and I don't know much about lifting a 4runner. Once I get mine I want to get a bay area meet going. We have a bunch of sick 4runners around here like obkooks diesel and t4r4life. I'm planning on putting a LC/Tundra lift and a 1" body lift at some point after I buy mine. The lift kit would be a better idea because you would probably have to go 2" body lift to elminiate a lot of the rubbing and it would be a hassle.
Yeah an OME setup would be good and if you aren't wheeling much then you should be fine. Probably some 881's and 890's.

 

[toy yoda]

Thats exactly what I'm thinking. From what I hear, people try to gouge on BL installs anyways, probably come out almost the same by doing a regular lift. Has anyone heard of this place? Jeep, Truck, 4x4 Repair Service, Lift Kits, Modifications: Scotts Valley, CA I'm tempted to just call my old alignment shop AI in milpitas and see if they'll install and align for me... Didn't know it would be this hard to find a truck shop.