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Well, after 20 some years its time to make this truck look presentable again.
If you subscribe to Expedition Portal you will have probably seen my build on there too. I just figured I'd add one to Yotatech as there is so much more Toyota technical information here. EP has given me some great advice and I love that site so we will see how it goes here.
Pictured above is what I'm starting with. A 1993 Toyota SR5 v6 extended cab.
About 15 years ago I purchased new leaf springs from Northwest Off Road Specialties (to lift the saggy backend) along with new torsion bars. I installed the springs but never did anything with the bars. Except store them in the basement.
The truck has run great over the years. It only has about 140000 miles on it and for the last few years I have only added about 1000 miles per year. In fact one year it was only about 800. It just sits in the garage and is used to run leaves and lawn clippings out and run to the home improvement store.
But now its starting to show its age with a rust spot here and there especially above the wheels. The rims look tough. It needs some beautification.
So the plan is to repaint the wheels. Repaint the truck. Put larger tires on. Possibly lift it more, due to the new tires. Put the topper back on and also have that painted. Put a rack on the top and make it a bit more of an expedition style truck and maybe do some exploring and camping with it. And we will see whatever else along the way.
So here goes. Hopefully I'll get lots of ideas and help along the way as I don't have much knowledge in the automotive world. I could build you a house, but for some reason I get a bit nervous when it comes to autos.
1st thing to do....Wheels!
Wheels: I thought it would be nice to get some new rims. I did some searching and came across the Stealth Ray 10s.
Little spendy, but wow do they look awesome! I emailed them with some questions and found out they wouldn't work on my truck without boring the center out a bit larger, which would cost more and then not be painted and also would not have center caps.
So I continued to look and really couldn't find anything I really liked.
Guess I will try to paint them and see what happens. I do like the style of the OEM wheels. Lets see what happens...
Tires: I should go bigger. The 31's have lots of tread left and are in great shape but if I'm doing all this work, lets go bigger.
33" BFGs ordered and delivered!
I think they will look good on.
Love that you kept the sr5 wheels. Those have always been my favorite toyota wheel. They came out great!
Thanks!
Although if I knew it would be this much work I'm not sure I would have. I do like how they turned out. And they are not the same as everyone else in town.
Torsion bars: Dug out the old (new) torsion bars out from the basement. Think I'll have them installed and see what happens. After the 33s the truck could use a little more lift. Nothing seems to be rubbing but haven't tried anything too extreme.
Went to the Toyota dealer and had the bars installed. Questioned them about ball joint spacers. Said they never heard of them. Showed them pics and they said put the torsion bars on and see what I think before I go hacking apart the suspension. I think the spacers are a good idea. After the torsion bars I did get an extra inch in height.
Last edited by Summitbeerowl; 07-10-2018 at 03:37 PM.
Are you planning on a sleep platform and drawers for the bed?
What work is the painter going to do on the truck?
You know at first I wasn't thinking of the platform but the more I have thought about it I might already be part way there. I have a removable platform I built a couple years ago that I slide in and secure so that I can haul 4x8 sheets of material. It wouldn't be difficult at all to throw a sheet of plywood on top for a sleeping area to try it out.
As for the painter...He's just getting rid of the rust, removing some minor dents, putting on fender flares and repainting.
Man why get new wheels those things look great now!
Thanks! And I agree. They turned out much better then I hopped. Not as smooth as they should be (I'll have to work on that) but I like them much better. Once the truck comes back I'll be able to tell if I need to extend the wheels out a bit to look right with the flares on. I would think it would help stabilize it especially when going down the interstate at 80.
Did you sandblast them?
Also you said the ride was much harsher with the new torsion bars? Were the shocks touched? I ask because I installed ome torsion bars on my rig and nitro charger shocks and the thing rode like crap. I put the stock torsion bars back in and things did not change much. I did a little reading and seems like the nitro charger shocks are rough in general.
Did you sandblast them?
Also you said the ride was much harsher with the new torsion bars? Were the shocks touched? I ask because I installed ome torsion bars on my rig and nitro charger shocks and the thing rode like crap. I put the stock torsion bars back in and things did not change much. I did a little reading and seems like the nitro charger shocks are rough in general.
Thats interesting about the torsion bars. I only changed the bars but had them cranked up another inch higher than what the original torsion bars were already cranked up. I'm wondering now if I put the 1.5" ball spacers on and reduce the tension on the bars if that will restore my ride and still give me enough clearance for the 33s.
Wheels: I did not have them sandblasted. Although you would have thought they were after the primer. Just a lot of stripper and sanding. There is a spot on 2 of the rims right where the center cap covers that doesn't look like the paint adhered to very well. So a little concerned there. I think I should have sanded a bit more. But this is a first for me. Learning as I go.
The bj spacers should definitely make it ride smoother. I thought about them a lot but learned they cause some geometry issues down the line. Don't mean to hijack this thread but here is a thread I started to get some info on ome suspension.
Also for your first time I think you did a solid job, seriously looks clean!
01-29-2017, 03:00 PM
