MudWaspSR5

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum and this is my first post! I own a 92' 4WD SR5-V6(3VZE)-5SPD Extra-Cab named "Sweet Pea" by her original owner because it the forest green or more "olive grey-green" color (not sure of the official name). Anyway, it's in great shape overall and I've just hit 170K original miles. I've done a lot of engine maintenance since we bought it at 100k (timing belt, all belts, pulleys, water pump, alternator, starter, injectors, etc) but now at 170k it is really needing an overhaul of everything from the floorboard down, mainly; new brakes, new suspension, new wheel bearings, new clutch, basically most things it would be on a jack for.

We bought the truck in 2000 and it was a daily driver for awhile, been driven back and forth between east coast / west coast twice but is now pretty much just a weekend warrior to hit up Home Depot but want to make into a nice off-roading and camp vehicle. I'd like to beef up the suspension, put on a 2 to 3" lift, and in general want to make it look a little more aggressive, more off-road ready / camp ready but am also not looking to go totally nuts or really make it a full on off-road beast or rock crawler or anything major like that. We live in central San Diego and so it will mostly remain a city truck but we do want to hit up some trails this summer in the Sierra Nevada's and take the family camping in northern California.

As far as current issues, the brakes and suspension are shot and the clutch is starting to slip. It does have a brand new master and slave cylinder so that's definitely not the issue. I know how to work the problem from top to bottom with the clutch. I think it's actually the original clutch too and am surprised it's gone this far (170k) but I've also never abused it. Secondly, a few months back the top bushing of the left front shock completely blew out (like no where to be found) and so whenever I hit a road bump it sounds like a bolt rattling in a glass jar. The brakes also started to grind last week so that was the curtain call to start all these major repairs which I just want to do all at once over May. Lastly, when serviced a few years ago to get the factory recall done on the front control arms or sway bars or whatever, they had told me that I really need to replace the front wheel bearings so that's been long overdue too but I checked them for play and they feel fine. It is however 20+ years old now. I would've done all of this a few years ago but we embarked on a major rehab of our back yard which took up all my extra time and in that time the truck has actually gotten more use of its intended purpose as a truck than it ever had before. She's been a really good war horse hauling supplies, rocks, DG, gravel, lots of flagstone, etc, so it's time to give back.

My main hit list is below. I do want to upgrade EVERYTHING on the list and do 99% at the same time so I'm looking for two key things: Advice on a strict checklist order of what to do first as I don't want to wind up putting wheels back on when they should've stayed off, etc. I've outlined the basic goals below and secondly, please give any advice on which best products to buy and which to avoid, key reasons why, etc.

1 - Replace all bushings with a complete poly kit. (I'm currently looking at the Prothane Total kit on eBay for ~$150. I want red or yellow bushings but obviously want the best full kit even if it costs a little more. I just couldn't find any other brands..likely due to the old age.

2 - Front wheel bearings (Note: I have Warn aftermarket twist type lock out hubs for the front 4WD not the OEM Aisin) therefore are the front bearings going to be hard to replace?

3 - Replace front Brakes (pads and new rotors). I'm sure the rotors on there now are shot and if replacing front wheel bearings I assume the rotors are coming off anyway. Luckily I also own the FSMs.

4 - New shocks - It had Rancho 9000's on all 4 tires but they are toast, especially that front left one lol with rotted bushings. If I wanted to do a 2" lift..what goes into all that and if its mainly a city truck is it even worth it since this would in essence be a little more for looks rather than regular off road use (for now). Suggestions please!

5 - New clutch kit - Is a "performance kit" worth the extra costs? I know this is a big job but I've got all the proper tools sans pullers and have replaced a few clutches in other vehicles so I know the drill. I know it's a PITA with the 4WD xfer case attached to the tranny but am sure there has to be great DIYs in here and on YouTube.

Moving onto the rear...

6 - New leaf springs..they are shot..and again, what to get if doing a 2" lift?

7 - I would also appreciate advice on rear brake conversion to disc. Are there good write ups on this, is it a major PITA, what brakes and rotors would be best, is it really worth it, etc? Also, should I replace or repack the rear wheel bearings while in there?

Lastly, my main goals with the truck is to keep it long term even though I plan to buy a Tundra in a few years. I was thinking of selling it and getting a 2010+ SR5 Tacoma or 2015+ Tundra but I just don't want a truck payment right now and Sweet Pea is in good enough shape that I don't mind putting a few grand back into her and keeping her long term. The engine is strong and well maintained but ultimately I'm also looking at doing the 5VZE swap (or a diesel possibly) and also really want to do the 4-Runner type bed cutout mod with folding bench seat in the bed as I have a 3yr old boy and we could really, really use a back seat. With the small extra-cab jump seat we can't really go anywhere over 20-30 miles with the 3 of us. Regardless Sweet Pea is still a great truck, the interior is also in top shape, it's been well maintained overall and I also just ordered an XTrons double din TV/DVD as well recently had all of the lower interior trim water jetted in 1/16th aluminum treadplate and am getting them anodized flat back soon. So along with all the suspension upgrades I'm revamping the interior to be black, silver, and grey, not just the stock all grey. And once these first hurdles are done I will get the truck repainted or am really leaning toward Raptorliner instead. She should be good to go for at least 250-300k after this huge round of upgrades.

Thanks for all the help!

Jeff

BAGGIERSPEEDO

I just put in the energy suspension poly bushings for my 91 SR5. A total pain due to rusted cam bolts and burning the old rubber bushing out. You have to reuse the inner sleeves from the old bushings.
During this i also put in new torsion bars from sway away. I really like how i can actually adjust the suspension now. Talk about night and day.
For lift i would recommended the OME - Old Man Emu kit. It adds about 2-3" of lift in the front and back when you couple it with the 1.5" BJ spacers. I am running 33x12.5 tires and i love it.

PS I also swapped a 5vz in and supercharged it. = awesome

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

I have a 93 and have put it through similar life as you. Now after I've done all the stuff to it, I've considered selling because I now have a 2yr old and with the whole car seat issue....you get it.

Anyways, I recommend the Old Man Emu suspension kit. It was a great investment IMO, though it was a big expense (around $900). I got the medium-duty leafs, bushings kits, ubolt kit, 4 shocks, and steering stabilizer. I skipped the beefier t-bars since I don't have a heavy winch bumper and I skipped new longer shackles because I was unsure of height in rear. Resulting height is perfect IMO and I sit at 22.5" center of axles to bottom of fenders - ever so slightly too low for the rear and could use 0.5-1" more height for proper stance (so maybe a 5" shackle would do)

As for the front end - I did my wheel bearings in the driveway and it was fairly straightforward. Lots of youtube videos on these types of repairs. New brakes can happen "while you're in there". Don't forget to lube the bearings for the CVs, look up spindle lubricator tool. Anti-seize applied to cone washers is a big help too. Make sure you get misc items like new star washers, gaskets, snap rings, etc for assembling your hubs again. 54mm socket you'll need as well to get the big nut off.

I have no advice really on bushing kit for these trucks, I haven't done mine yet - but need to do my control arm bushings, not a simple task. I would go for a more reputable brand personally and not buy from eBay just in case you're missing parts or need customer service for whatever reason.

I also can't comment on rear disk brakes since I have never done it. Lots of writeups on it though. You can always add it later too.

For 20yr old trucks, they are still damn reliable and solidly built unlike many newer vehicles you see on the roads. I see no issues keeping it alive for another 5yrs as long as you take care of it and do a little PM once in a while.

Yotatech has TONS of good info on the site. You can search for all the repairs you have questions about. There's also many other great sites that get linked in threads since they have lots of technical info on particular repairs - 4Crawler is a great one if you haven't found it yet.
Good luck!

MudWaspSR5

Thanks for the quick first replies and great tips guys! I read that the black Energy Suspension bushings have graphite in them which helps thwart squeaking (but will use added lube of course) and also noted that there are some grooves and channels in the bushings which help hold lube long term. Those Prothanes and DayStars or any which have totally smooth interiors / exteiors are apparently pretty worthless and will eventually sqweak like hell. You also want to get some which do have a proper amount of flex, not super stiff ones as that too causes squeaks.

In researching bushings I quickly found an excellent YouTube video on good vs. bad polyurethane bushings. This video really sold me on these blue "SuperPro" bushings made in Australia (www.superpro.eu.com) but I've been having a hard time tracking down which ones to create a full "master kit" for my truck as most in their catalog seem to be sold individually. Im going to contact them as there is a ton of the Toyota Hilux in Australia so maybe they have ones that will work. However, due to their superior engineering and given I'm in the USA they might just be way too cost prohibitive. If a full kit is more than $300 shipped I will skip them and go with the Energy Suspension kit. I will post up what I find out.

SacRunner

When I did my wheel bearings last summer I went with the Marlin Crawler kit (you'll need 2): https://www.marlincrawler.com/axle/f...el-bearing-kit

I'm in the same boat right now shopping for new pads and rotors and just completely overwhelmed with all of the various options.

I have the Old Man Emu setup (not sure on the shock part numbers) with their heavy duty coils (which won't work for you, 4runner vs truck) and their steering stabilizer, plus ball joint spacers and have been pretty happy with them over the last 10 years.

I again went with the Marlin Crawler kit (but with 3.4 components, to match the swap), and have been extremely happy with it, 2-3 years and about 30k miles.

My only other advice is to call Marlin Crawler (vs ordering via the website) as I've heard of some others having some minor order issues, and if nothing else, the guys on the phone really do know what they're talking about and will make sure that you get the right parts ordered. While you're on the phone with them, ask about their shifter bushing (I think they told me at one point the stock 3.0 shifter didn't need a bushing, but better to double check).

ozzyrob

I'm doing the same with mine....350.00 odd km on it, usual story previous owners hadn't done a lot of maintenance.
Stick with rubber bushes. I've asked around and did a bit of research, they word on the street is they isolate the frame better from vibrations and such. Basically all the parts are available form Toyota....tho somewhat $$$$.

Check your front diff mounts if you already haven't.

I just put in an Exedy HD clutch.........bloody awesome & light.

As for OME, hmmm alot of guys down under aren't real happy with 'em, but then a lot of people seem to rate them, each to their own I guess.