B2119

Sorry no questions about gears or how big of a lift I should get!

Just bought my '91 4x4 Ext Cab V6 5-speed about 1 month ago and have been trying to shore some things up. It has a lot of miles on it, 240k, but that is part of the beauty right?!

Since I bought the truck I have had an inspection to see where I should go with repairs first. There was a leaky clutch line that I fixed right away. The tires were crappy retreads so I ditched those and got a fresh alignment with some 235/85r16 tires on it.

Now I need to address the Steering/Suspension on it. Typical rear end sag, front shocks don't currently have bushings so they rattle, PS leak. I have a spare gearbox that I was going to rebuild.

With regards to the Aftermarket parts, what companies should I stay away from (FEQ, Maval, etc)? I am looking to buy a pump, idler arm, ball joints. Any other suggestions while I'm in there?

And since you made it this far pics for your troubles!

Before new tires...


After new tires...


Narrow tires...

93Xtra-Cab

Only buy OEM Toyota parts. They might be a bit more expensive, they're worth it. I bought ball joints for my truck off Ebay once...total junk...they didn't even have grease fittings

For the rear spring sag, you could get an add-a-leaf, but that will just have a tendency to make your springs worse over time. Could also do shackles, but that messes with your pinion angle. The ZUK mod is popular with 4Runners around here. I'm not sure how they would be on a pickup. I would think it'd make it really stiff. Some others might chime in on this. If you don't know what the ZUK mod is, there are NUMEROUS threads around here. Just use the search bar.

You might also want to look into swapping on a set of manual locking hubs. There is also tons of information on here about that.

I'm liking the rims, skinny tires and the light bar.

Welcome to YT! Now you're one of us!

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Toyota parts.
Rebuild components like alternators and starters.
Fix your saggy ass.

Welcome to Yotatech

:wabbit2:

annoyingrob

I did this on my pickup more or less. I took a set of springs that a friend gave me (They were 82-86 Toyota Supra rear springs), cut a coil off of them, compressed them and stuck them over top of the bump-stops in the rear. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't bother cutting the coil off, I would just stick them in there as-is. It fixed my sagging and didn't leave the rear super-stiff. the diameter was just right that they fit really tight over the bump-stop. After a week of driving they un-coiled slightly with all of the pressure and are now super stuck on there. They haven't moved in years. I actually have new leafs for the truck now, I'm going to have to torch off the springs.

scope103

240,000mi on a '91? Almost brand new ....

Are you sure the rear end is sagging? I'm no expert, but it looks to me like the front end is too high. Somewhere in it's history it could have had the torsion bars torqued up. When your alignment was done they should have measured the "ride height" (sometimes called "Chassis Ground Clearance" http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...17suspensi.pdf) That doesn't mean you can't lift the rear end if that's your preference, but you ought to know where you're starting from.

You can't go wrong ordering OEM parts, but they are often pretty spendy. Yes, you can buy junk on eBay (I'll bet you're surprised to hear that). But I've had excellent luck with Cardone, etc. parts from Autozone or O'Reilly's. Just use your head. (And just because I said "spendy" don't fail to get a price from the dealer. Some parts (like the fuel line crush washers) aren't available anywhere else, and the dealer price isn't bad at all.)

B2119

I appreciate the welcome and answers thus far. I have a few more questions now that I thought I'd throw in this thread.

Since I got the new tires I have been trying to figure out how much my speedo is off. I cannot for the life of me find from STFA anything about how to figure out my stock tire size. I have done the decoding of the vin, and looked in the door jam. I still cannot figure it out! I have a DLX V6 5-speed with 4.56 gearing but I still don't know what size tires my truck came with stock!

Also I was looking in the Engine bay and there is a cap missing the previous owner covered with electrical tape.

What is it for?


Finally, the previous owner put on a K&N filter. I would prefer something that is not open to the elements. Should I build a surround for the filter, or stick the stock airbox back on there?

nieb15

I have a 91 one as well (single cab, longbed). I have 31" tires on mine and my speedo is still right on target. Stock they had P225/75R15, with 31s as an option.

I'd build a custom surround for that filter, it will allow a lot more flow than stock. I'm about to redo the intake on mine (stock).

Mr.Utah

In regards to the speed question, you wont be off much. Grab a GPS and compare speeds on a flat road.

RAD4Runner

Welcome to Yotatech!

Zuk worked for me. I'm very happy with my Runner but I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on suspension first. So did the Zuk. It's easy to restore to stock IF and when I finally decide to put money on good aftermarket springs like the Old Man Emu's.

Before you decide on Zuk mod, research what type / dimension / spring rating to use. Ask folks with similar truck what worked for them, How much lift their springs yielded.

Agree. And shop thoroughly. Many people have good luck with non-OEM. I thought I did too with $25 brand-new Power Torque brand master cylinder, but a few months later it started to leak. I reported to OReilly where I bought it from and ask the salesman if they carried Aisin, and he found me a brand-new one for $48, while other places sell it for around $75. Now that's a good price for OEM!
On the other hand, $23 window regulator (manual) works out well for me.
Now my general rules are if it's needed for safety and to make sure truck runs, buy OEM. If it's for less critical stuff and price difference is too much, after-market is OK.
And yes, sometimes dealer price is not bad. For example, nut for my antenna mount was bad. Got replacement for $12. If I drove from one junkyard to another, I would have spent way more than that in man-hours.

It's supposed to be a cold air intake, so filter should suck air colder than engine compartment air. Need to insulate from eng comp with a box.

annoyingrob

I'm not a V6 guy, but the electrical tape covered thing looks like a dashpot. It's essentially a "shock absorber" for your throttle. There should be a small filter and a cap with vent holes in it on the back. My guess is the previous owner lost the cap and just wrapped some tape around it so the filter didn't fall out. It's not a huge issue, but you might as well grab a new one from the junkyard.

scope103

Correct. If you allow the throttle to "slam" closed, it shuts off all the air while there is still fuel in the intake system (condensed on the walls, for instance). This pushes you very rich, and among other bad things will produce a big puff of pollutants.

The dashpot closes the throttle "gently" allowing the last bit of air to sweep out the left over fuel.

http://www.autoshop101.com/ air induction system / page 4

Check a salvage yard; get it fixed.