Simann

Well, I just ordered the OME suspension lift kit from TRDparts4u.com today, and some other parts like the Pro Comp SS extended brake lines, the Sonoran truss brace.

But later today I was towing a car out of the back of his (old) shop in 4wd low and noticed my front CV axles sounding like machine guns!:pat:

I peered under and could not believe what I saw, there were NO BOOTS left on the axles! No grease! I cannot believe I missed that when I bought the truck a couple of months ago LMAO.

Anywho, I went to Advance Autoparts and they only could order some very expensive $200 a piece WITHOUT core CV axles. They did not have them in stock, I went walked about 20 feet next door to Oreily's where they had both in stock and $189 a piece ($100 core refund though!). And bought new spark plug wires (borg warner, 7mm) and some NGK stock replacement plugs (V-power) and new belts.

Next week I am buying the new wheels and tires as well, and maybe squeeze in some Bushwacker fender flares and some how rig up the E46 projectors in some nice H4 housings I have laying around.

I guess we should keep this thread open, its soon to become a "build up" thread.

Look for my LT1 swap soon as well!

-Jonathan Mann

Red3.slow

Advance charged me 58 bucks for a remain axle and I think 35 dollar core charge

Simann

Well here is the situation that I encountered at Advance.

They had the cheapy's in the system and the high dollar ones I listed already. But the thing was that for the cheapy remanufactured ones it said for them to "call for avail." So the kid called and they told him they had no way of giving him a price and/or availability due to the manufacturer being out of stock/business.

I actually searched on here before I went to either store about the pricing and read that the parts supplier manufacturer that made them for Advance went out of business and already depleted stock.

So Advance was about $60 MORE on their CV axles than Oreily's was (after core exchange).

And Oreily's had them IN STOCK. So it was a no brainer in my particular case.

Some of you guys in smaller towns/cities have it lucky. They charge less.


I guess I will see just how hard these are to get out after 15 years of use. Oh lord hahahahah.

Either way in a month the truck is going to be completely different. I dont see very many lifted 4runners in Nashville or Murfreesboro area of TN. Mostly all Ford and Chevy, go figure.

-Jonathan Mann

Red3.slow

I like the sounds of that. Well next time if you need a part and have some time to spare I'll run down to the local auto parts store and see if I can't save you some cash.

bamachem

2nd gen or 3rd gen?

i bought 3 at NEW CV AXLES at Advance yesterday for $69 each with NO CORE CHARGE for my 99...

TNRabbit

Apply PB Blaster to all the inner shaft bolts LIBERALLY for at least a week before you intend to remove the CV shafts...plus get a good, long breaker bar, unless you intend to use an impact wrench.

Simann

Usually PB blaster brand has only taken an hour for the jobs I have done. If anything my impact guns will do the trick. Thanks for the advice.

I will get some pictures of the torn CV axles when I get home. They are HILLARIOUS looking!

I should drive down a dark allyway in downtown Nashville and put it in 4wd, watch the kids scatter! (machine gun sounds)

Simann

I just replaced the spark plugs and spark plug wires today.
I think the plugs have to be 100,000 miles old They looked HORRIBLE

Drives better though.

I ordered the Bushwacker fender flares yesterday. Still deciding on what wheels and tires to get.

I am opting for 15x10 (3.*** backspacing) Pro Comp 1069's or Mickey Thompson Classic II's.

-Jonathan

Simann

Well I just bought some wheels:
15x10 Eagle 058's 3-5/8 (.65) backspacing. (of course 6x5.5 lug).

I think I will wear out my 31x10.5-15's and then later on get some 33's.

I will get some pics of the suspension kit soon.

I have another order for SDORI for the panhard drop bracket, front sway bar and diff. spacers, and the LSPV drop bracket.

-Jonathan Mann

AH64ID

15x10's???? Good luck not rubbing... thats waaay to wide for a IFS rig, espically w/out a bracket lift. You will most like rub with 31's, and rub horribly with anything bigger. Search around, everybody runs 15x8's for a reason

Simann

I have searched and have asked some very reputable people. I think you missed the offset and backspacing part. The wheels themselves will set out wider than stock.

Either way, I rubbed way more with my Supra drifting around 2" off the ground at full steering lock.

-Jonathan

AH64ID

Thats fine... but youll still rub really bad with a 10" wide wheel and 33x12.50's on a BJ spacer lift only. Heck I would rub with that wheel and 33's on my bracket lift... At full turn your tires edge will be 2" closer to the pinch weld than on mine, I have 15x8's with 3.75" BS.. when I had 33's there was only maybe 3/4" clearance.. so you will rub well before lock..... Wider is not always better.... its the pinch weld that has the biggest clerance issues not the frame....

Simann

Then I will notch out the frame. If I dont have clearance I will make clearance. Nothing a buzzwheel and some mig welding cant fix. I tackle projects and problems as they come, seems to be more "fun" that way

-Jonathan

Simann

by the way, those bushwacker fender flares came in today. They are really nice looking in person! Great fit-n-finish (at least the plug they came out of in the vacuum molding machine).

slosurfer

Strap22 is running 15x10 rims with this setup. The main thing is the backspacing. Lets say you have 33x12.5's and one is on 15x8 and one is on 15x10 and they have the same backspacing. Mounted the actual tire is going to be in approximately the same place just the ballooning of the tire is going to be different. With the same backspacing, the 15x10 doesn't make the actual tire tread 2" wider. I personally like the way a tire looks on the 15x8, but that is just looks plus I don't like to add extra weight of the rim. My rig is power challenged to begin with.

AH64ID

Correct, but the big issue is it moves the outer edge 2", the center of the rubber only one inch, but IME its never the center that rubs, its the edge. I know that even with a 4" bracket lift 33's on a 15x10 and 3.75"BS would rub in the parking lot.

I used to like the look of a 15x10, but not anymore a 33 or 35 on a 15x8 looks very very nice....

Bumpin' Yota

why the LT1? a carburated LS1 would be niiiiiice, or if you dont mind swapping all the electronics over you could keep it EFI. The nice thing is that the LS1 is all aluminum!

But yeah wait until you go to pull off the CV! LOL I had to disconnect the shock and the upper ball joint from the upper control arm to get the rest of the assembly to drop down far enough to get the whole cv axle out. But not before the dust cover for the tripod joint came of and I got a raging about of gooey grease all over me and everything around me....LOL Keep paper towels handy, you WILL need em! lol

Simann

LT1 parts are alot cheaper and making it carbourated (sp? its early morning LOL) makes it that much more reliable and less wiring to deal with.

LS1's are obviously strong and light (aluminum block and heads) but if you look at the actual "gains" its not very much. Iron blocks are stronger in the sense of increased HP and heat.

Plus I have a wide array of LT1 parts available to do it with. Thats the major decesion maker for the LT1 swap.

But back on the CV axle swap, I am doing it with the suspension upgrade (all at the same time).

I just recieved all my other brackets from 4crawler (panhard,LSPV, diff. drop and front sway bar spacers).

So I have everything I could possibly need to do the upgrade:
OME Full suspension system (f/r shocks/rear coil springs/ rear coil spring spacers, BJ spacers, front dampning shock)
LSPV bracket
Panhard drop bracket
Front Diff. drop spacers
Front sway bar spacers
Sonoran steel front subframe truss.
Pro Comp braided Stainless Steel extended brake lines
(new brake rotors and pads are about to be ordered)
Eagle 15x10 wheels (3.65" backspacing/+42offset)
Bushwacker fender flares (having them painted black)

Me and Gerre (Race Power, see sig.) just moved the lift from Murfreesboro to McMinnville TN. So I will have all the parts on in about a couple of weeks.

We have alot of catching up to do since we are moving about 12,000 sq/ft of the race shop. We have to complete a vintage 69' mustang build and are waiting on a guy from Canada to pick up his Jaguar Trans-Am (ex Paul Gentalozzi factory Jaguar) that we retrofitted and updated.
Hopefully this comming summer we will attend about 12 races (Trans-Am is back finally after a good 4 year abscense from the scene...politics). We are building another C5 'vette chassis right now in McMinnville and are planning to campaigne it or the older c5 rig. But this is all counting on when he sells his place in M'boro. Money is the first step to racing!! LOL.

After that I can start thinking about the LT1 swap.

-Jonathan Mann

slosurfer

Where were you rubbing? I can make my tires rub on my swaybar in the parking lot at full lock, but that is getting tossed once the runner is not my wifes kid hauler. Or where you rubbing on the fender? YOu were right once again, but I think it actually moves the outside edge 1" not 2". I will try to demonstrate:

______[--{--------}--] 8" rim
_____[-{----------}-] 10" rim - = in. [=tire {=rim

backspacing is the same so the vehicle side of the rim starts in the same place. I could definately see that adding that extra in. outward you will probably have to pound the pinchweld and remove some of the plastic liner at the bottom rear of the fender. All this has made me have to

Simann

Ner ner da da ner ner