i just got a 87 4 runner and i want to build it up the terrain snow mud rock/trail water i want to lift it or body lift bigger tires a custom bush guard a light rack of 4 on top and 4 on the bush guard a winch a locker for the back axle a luggage rack on top (the mettle frame ones) ....some questions..... should i stay with the 22re or put a v6 ....engine mods ? i want to keep the independent front if i can or is it better to go solid ? so if you guys can help on tips and brands and whatever thanks

 

stay 22re...much more dependable, and ifs VS solid axle it depends on how hard ur gonna wheel it....ifs will be strained by 35's might start breaking CV's doesnt flex very well, solid axle if im not mistaken is still strained by 35's and instead of CV's youll break birfs but you can get a crap ton more flex....if this is going to be a mud truck and you want it cheap, BL and some boggers..if you wanna do some climbing..its a lil dif story, locker ide go lockright or aussie brush guard check out trailgear.com also has alot of other toy stuff...and luggage rack, check ebay?

 

the best thing i can tell you is just to start reading first. I read for six years before I ever started to mod my truck, and am happy i did read as much as i could. just start with some general searches on yotatech and google, there is more info. out there then you ever thought there could be.

good luck happy reading.

 

if you want good power and have some money, look for a 5vz-fe. if you want some moderate and dependable power for cheap(er) stick with the 22 and have a machine shop work on the head and throw a good cam in it. and everyone around here wants to bag on nitrous use but i've found that if done right it is instant passing/climbing power that won't blow a motor. suspension: remember that with a soild front axle that if one side goes down the other must come up, but if you romp on IFS you will break something, so there is a trade off, depends on what you have planned.

i like to buy parts from summit cause they're cheap and dependable.
i buy gasket sets on ebay cause they're usually marked down 30%
crower cams in san diego does cam regrinds for $200
you could probably find a 5vz-fe in a slavage yard for cheap but beware of junk yard motors.

 

If your really in highschool, I hope you realize the cost of everything you want to do. If this is a long term plan than plan away, better to have a long term plan before you start making mods anyhow. Just recognize you are talking about easily 5-10k worth of mods.

 

yeah dude i've spent easily 5 grand just on my motor, guages, tranny parts and little stuff.

 

go to lcengineering.com they have everything toyota performance wise you can think of even long and short blocks turbos superchargers and i would change to solid axle because toyota solid axles are 8 inch and just as strong as chevy half ton i have a 350 with 33s and i have never broken a thing stock axles and transfer drive lines and yes the mods you want to do are gonna cost alot i have 7 grand into my truck not including what i paid for it

 

i agree with the reading and researching me i dont even have a 4x4 but i plan on getting one in the spring when i start school and threw out my schooling ill be working on building it i plan on dumping around 4 grand into it ( but im being smart and finding a 85 or older STOCK truck ) that way i can do all the work myself. And i have been reading and reasearching and been around toyotas for bout 8 years not and been working on toyotas myself since freshman year of highschool so i have a head start. but please spare yourself the heartache and headache of jumping into things, BUT sometimes people just learn from there mistakes ( LIKE ME ) hahaha but good luck dude ill help you as much as i can lol

 

This thread is fishy....

 

how so?

 

I'm curious too...

 

thanks for the help guys ...i plan to swap the IFS to solid now and stay with the 22re iv got about 6 grand to put into it (i got it for 75$) i know im only 17 but iv had a job since i was 10 moving pipe and rebidding tractors so iv got the know how and the $$
any help on tires, racks, lights, winches, engine mods, would be nice i will keep reading and looking at what works
thanks again
....PS how is this fishy ???

 

if your going to sas it.. let me know, i can hook you up with trail-gear SAS kit.

 

hey yeah that's the kit i want...

 

I see youre located in idaho, where abouts is shelley? Im about 30 min from preston. But If I had stock 87 runner with 6 grand to spend, id be a happy camper. Id start by going through your drivetrain, be sure the transfercase works and the transmission goes through all the gears fine, then start on the motor, make sure there are no vacuum leaks, check compression on all cylinders and just do the usual maintenance ( change and check all fluids) from there you will have a good starting point, thats when you need to decide what you will really be using this truck for, personally i would go with the sas swap, the sas can handle 35s, but anything bigger and you will start breaking stuff, after getting the sas done depending on how much lift you want, you will want to get a hi steer set up (im running the one from marlin crawler and I love it), I would start searchin ksl for a set of decent rims and tires, i owuld then re gear ( 5.29s if you want to run 35s, maybe 4.88s for 33s) and lock the rear. After having all that done you would have a sweet and reliable truck. After doing all that i would start working on body armor (bumpers and sliders)

 

nah, people just don't want to use that SEARCH button any more

 

bein his age I can see how the search button just didnt help him how it would others, he just got his truck, he is probably super excited and he wants his questions answered specifically so he can start buildin that beast, and we are the ones here to answer, lets not make yota tech notorious for killin newbs hopes and dreams like some other sites we are all afraid to post on in fear of being flamed and online humiliated

 

It sounds fishy bc I am 30 and I didn't have money lying around to throw at my rig when I got it. If you have been working a while and have a bunch of money saved up to do what you want, good for you. There are so many options and so many different roads you can take, read through em all before you decide to jump. Other then that, welcome, and WHERE'S THE PICS!

 

thats why i came to YT, i got flamed at pirate on my first post. I only read pirate now.

 

Precisely why I asked questions instead of criticising <engineers and spelling, bad combo>.

To the OP: I agree with the poster that said to go through all the drivetrain first, that way you can be sure you have a solid foundation to start your project on!

I've been doing exactly that, although like most over eager folks I started with rims and tires and lift...

One other question is what you want to do with the truck once its built, i'm assuming in Idaho your looking for a mountain trail rig? Unless your in the south then maybe a sand rig? Good recommendations will be based on how you want to use the truck!

Good luck and welcome!