Ready To Build Out My Stock 99 4WD V6

J

jimmyrecluse

New member
I've decided to take my stock 99, owned for 4 years, 174K miles on it and build it. There is a ton of info in the forums so I'm hoping some of you who have BTDT can advise here.

Lift: Mild, 1.5" - Bilstein the way to go?
Diff drop
Armor all around
Brake upgrade - Maybe Tundra but I want to make sure it's 100% safe
Going to wrap it

I'm considering supercharging it - Probably go with the TRD unit

anything else I should consider?
 
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If you are going to go with armor I would go with an OME lift and order the heavy duty springs. Having had both OME and Bilsteins, I like the OME ride better.

TBU is safe as long as it is done correctly.
 
theesotericone said:
What's your intended use? There's a big difference in what a cool looking mall crawler will need compared to an overland build compared to a crawler.
Click to expand...


Great question. Basically it belongs to my dogs. Trips to and from the parks, hikes, and trips out to the mountains for short vacations and moderate to slightly difficult off road trails. I'm likely to head off road more once it's built. Nothing too crazy like 90 degree climbs or rock crawling.
 
jimmyrecluse said:
I've decided to take my stock 99, owned for 4 years, 174K miles on it and build it. There is a ton of info in the forums so I'm hoping some of you who have BTDT can advise here.

Lift: Mild, 1.5" - Bilstein the way to go?
Diff drop
Armor all around
Brake upgrade - Maybe Tundra but I want to make sure it's 100% safe
Going to wrap it

I'm definitely supercharging it - Probably go with the TRD unit

anything else I should consider?
Click to expand...

If you are only doing a mild lift, I'm not sure you have to also drop the differential at all. Although, any lifted vehicle will eat through those tie rods a bit quicker.

The TBU is the only brake kit upgrade out there and yes it's safe, you're putting parts meant for a Toyota on another Toyota. It's a very simple upgrade as long as your wheels clear the calipers. I recommend OEM Tundra rotors, they can be had from online sellers in the $60 range each which is sometimes even cheaper than aftermarket parts like from PowerStop.

I fixed the part about the supercharger in your quote. Although I admit it does absolutely nothing for off-roading.
 
gamefreakgc said:
If you are only doing a mild lift, I'm not sure you have to also drop the differential at all. Although, any lifted vehicle will eat through those tie rods a bit quicker.

The TBU is the only brake kit upgrade out there and yes it's safe, you're putting parts meant for a Toyota on another Toyota. It's a very simple upgrade as long as your wheels clear the calipers. I recommend OEM Tundra rotors, they can be had from online sellers in the $60 range each which is sometimes even cheaper than aftermarket parts like from PowerStop.

I fixed the part about the supercharger in your quote. Although I admit it does absolutely nothing for off-roading.
Click to expand...

Eh... getting to Moab and etc. is a bit rough N/A'ed.
 
jimmyrecluse said:
Great question. Basically it belongs to my dogs. Trips to and from the parks, hikes, and trips out to the mountains for short vacations and moderate to slightly difficult off road trails. I'm likely to head off road more once it's built. Nothing too crazy like 90 degree climbs or rock crawling.
Click to expand...


It sounds like you just want to make the rig more capable off-road. From the list you posted in the OP is seems you've already got a pretty good plan on how to do that. Armor and a small lift with some 255 or 285 tires should be plenty for what you intend.

Then it comes down to whether you lock the rear or not. Having a locked rear can make a big difference on harder trails. If your going to lock the rear you might as well re-gear while your at it. Then maybe lock the front as well. Re-gearing and locking F/R costs about the same as a supercharger.

Get it lifted and armored on your new tires and see if you can deal with how it drives. Some guys can, some can't. I was a can't. I knew right away a re-gear to 5.29 was in the near future.
 
theesotericone said:
It sounds like you just want to make the rig more capable off-road. From the list you posted in the OP is seems you've already got a pretty good plan on how to do that. Armor and a small lift with some 255 or 285 tires should be plenty for what you intend.

Then it comes down to whether you lock the rear or not. Having a locked rear can make a big difference on harder trails. If your going to lock the rear you might as well re-gear while your at it. Then maybe lock the front as well. Re-gearing and locking F/R costs about the same as a supercharger.

Get it lifted and armored on your new tires and see if you can deal with how it drives. Some guys can, some can't. I was a can't. I knew right away a re-gear to 5.29 was in the near future.
Click to expand...

Very clear answer, super helpful, thank you. I'll start off this way.
 
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