Product Suggestions for a Newb!

[inapart]

Hey guys,
I had a few questions about upgrades for my 1990 v6 i just picked up. I have little to no experience with off road vehicles so im kind of in the dark as far as brands and part quality in this field. I actually sold my 02 WRX to get the runner for the sake of space and not to mention insurance cost and some money in my pocket.
I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do to it so Im thinking I'll throw out what upgrades I want to do and maybe you guys can give me some brand specifics and places to buy. Any input is appreciated.

1- new rear coils and shocks. I am not looking for a lift but I do want to level out the saggy rear end.

2- wheel spacers. I was think 2" to give it the stance I want and a little bit more stability. I have heard mixed reviews on these things but going with a wheel change is not an option right now as the tires on it are brand new.

3- a bull bar. I haven't been able to find a bolt on one for a 2nd gen.

4- a roof rack. I want something that will fit correctly with the sun roof.

I am willing to put out some money for good quality stuff but i don't need anything top of the line. The truck will only see a foot of snow max and some light off roading. Thanks.

 

[priestsallore]

for a rear end lift buy some lc coils, & longer shots, with a crossmember extention.

I personally.say no to the spacers, because you have enough stability as-is, they may actually hurt you in the end.

no bull bar, find a good full grille/brush guard, or buy an ARB.

 

[inapart]

Downey headers

Sorry guys. I forgot one thing. I wanted to do headers as well. The best option seemed to be Downeys but from what i have read theyre out of business and all the others i have found are not california legal. Are there any alternatives?

 

[inapart]

Thanks priestsallore. One question. What is a crossmember extention and why do i need it?

 

[priestsallore]

also,
Try Gobi for example as a roof rack. Theres also plenty of places like KC that sell good lights. Go to Ranch Hand & you can see some nice ones. Anything else you looking to do?

as far as headers, Thorley makes some good headers. or Hooker if you can find any made for ours.

 

[priestsallore]

the big bar behind your rear axle thats at an angle from the drivers to.passenger side is the crossmember. The extention is basically self-explanitory, as it will offer you the extra space to allow the lift on the rear end, as without the entention or a longer bar, it wont allow the travel, so to speak.

 

[wingsnhammers]

About a month ago I fixed the rear suspension of my 91. I used Moog progressive rate cargo management coils and a pair of Monroe Monomax shocks. It was a night and day difference. The Moog coils will bring the rear end up to factory stock height, which still looks to be a little low. That is because the rear wheel well arches are cut lower in the rear than in the front.

The shocks were fairly cheap, but are still a decent shock. I think the springs were around 75 for the pair and the shocks were 60 for the pair at my local O'Reilly's. Summit Racing also has the same springs listed on the website.

If you really want to widen the stance, get a set of wheels with a different backspacing. Summit Racing will sell you a set of 5 wagon type steel wheels for under 300 in just about any backspacing you could want.

 

[ozzyleven]

Aren't the Monomax shocks KYB? Anyways, your upgrades are really going to depend on your budget.

1.) I have Moog coils and KYB Gas-a-just shocks on my 94 currently. $70 for coils, $180ish for 4 shocks. Its okay, but a little stiff at times. Fixed the sag and handling is way better. Unlike wingsnhammers, the Moog coils really lifted the rear up on my rig and it does not look low at all. If I had more money at the time I would have gotten the Old Man Emu setup.

2.) Agree with priestsallore. Skip the wheel spacers and wait till you can get tires/wheels that suit your needs.

3.) Good luck finding a bolt on bull bar. I've looked, lots of things for these trucks were discontinued a long time ago. Bolt-on brush guards can be found sometimes on CL and in scrapyards. ARB is definitely a great choice, but browse around this site because there are tons of cool options from some of the smaller/custom fabricators.

4.) Have you checked with someone like a Yakima or Thule dealer? I'm sure they'd be more than happy to come look at your rig in the parking lot and tell you what would fit. I can't imagine they wouldn't have an option that works. My Thule rails are tough and definitely make me feel more confident carrying stuff up top than the old stock ones.

5.) Header brands I have no idea about, but for all the trouble and if you really love the rig just swap to a 3.4. From what I've read, headers do not create very large performance gains on the 3.0 relative to overall cost.

Good luck with your runner! I hope its a really clean one since you gave up a WRX for it

 

[priestsallore]

Not trying to hate on Monroe, as theg are a good shock, but I'd suggest Rancho shocks. I run Rancho 9000s, as they are hydrolic shocks, and Monroes are gas, with the concern of gas leaks from the shocks if you go offroading.

 

[inapart]

Thanks for the response guys you've been really helpful. I'll keep updating on how the upgrades go.

 

[ajordan1975]

:biggrin2: Cut it all off. Do a solid axle swap and leaf springs in the rear! Then you can do this.

 

[wingsnhammers]

You are probably right about the MonoMax being a KYB. I've got so many brand names running through my head I probably just got them mixed up. I do know for sure the shocks I got are Monroes and they are a monotube shock. They were cheap and had a lifetime warranty, so I figured I couldn't lose to bad. I plan on a lift later, so I will need longer ones then.

The springs did lift the rear of my runner a solid 2.5" over the saggy factory coils. It brought it back to proper ride height. It looks dang good compared to saggy butt.

 

[dewiseman]

shocks

look into procomp es3000 for shocks. I ran them for a long time on my 95 4r. They are not to stiff and last a long time.