I have been searching and searching for the thread that will help me make up my mind about what mods i want to do to my 85 runner sr5. its a 22re and had a suspension lift when i bought it (although i dont know how high). what do you all recommend i do to make my rig the ultimate long distance travel (expedition) offroading ride???

any thoughts are appreciated...even though cost is an issue, i WILL NOT sacrifice quality!!!

i am new to the game, so i dont know the best brands, or what reasonable prices are so please give me the hook up on all aspects of your suggestions...

thanks!

 

Look at my website.

 

What specific parts do you think i need for my desired purposes?

I am going to be driving long distances to camp, climb, dive, and just all around explore places rarely seen...

 

What's your budget?

 

i dont want to put any more than 10000 in the truck and i paid about 3500 for the vehicle...

 

So 6500 for mods on an expedition vehicle? That sounds like a healthy start. I will toss some ideas your way a little later when I have more time. Any ideas you get here are only a starting point, however. Especially on an expedition vehicle, most mods are there for the sake of making you comfortable, and that is really up to what makes YOU comfortable. Gears, locking diffs, and armor are always a good investment, though, more important than a lift or other suspension work in terms of usability offroad.

More to follow later when I have more time =)

 

of course when i say 10000, i mean total over the next few years. the truck has a lift that the previous owner put on it, and my first purchase is going to be a combo of tires and drivetrain components (gears, lockers, heavy-duty axles, and maybe a TG transfer case). Then i am going for armor. i would really like to fab my own armor and my father has a welding and fabricating contracting company so i think that is feasible. lastly, before i begin traveling and really getting a good idea of my needs, i want to do some extensive engine and wiring modifications.

it seems like with all that and then trying to mod the interior for comfort and convenience, 6500 is a rather tight budget!!

 

Might find some ideas on my page:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4Runner.shtml

I've done some multi-week trips in it:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/Nevada/MN_Trip_2004/
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/Nevada/N...003/index.html

Plus it'll handle most any trail:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CA-168/Dusy-2003/

 

OME shocks and springs and TRD diffs front and rear...

other than tire preference, pretty much done...

 

Its not hard to spend money once you start getting into your project, I have around 10.000 dollars into my 86 4Runner and im not done with it yet. Just take your time with the build and don`t go cheap on anything, when it comes to building a truck right you get what you pay for.

 

what tire do you all suggest? Perfect balance of long distance on-road travel, but with off-road capability?

 

33x10.50 ATs or MTs are good. ATs will last longer, tread wear wise, and the MTs would be a little better off-road.

 

It's got a sfa and efi, it's already perfect

 

rear e locker air locker front 33s or 35s your set.. then lots of armour

 

To a lot of people, "expedition vehicle" seems to be the popular build description these days, and they usually mean "daily driver/weekend warrior".

To me, expedition vehicle means "weeks/months totally unsupported". To that end, you need much more fuel capacity (30 gal or more). Water capacity (30 gal or more). Oil capacity/extended change intervals (remote bypass filter setup). Beefed up components whereever possible (longfields in front, full float conversion in back). Provision for carrying spare parts that would render the truck unmovable. All not-sexy stuff, but will make a huge difference in the enjoyment of your trip.

What size tires are you wanting to run?

 

In just about any purpose-built rig, the biggest thing that gets left out is defining a purpose for the rig.

With that in mind, what is your exact planned usage? General daily driver / light trail rig / camping up to a week? Or are you planning on staying longer than a week? How often will you use this rig? What kind of terrain will you usually be operating on?

Also, what are the exact current stats of your truck, so that we have some idea of what can be left alone, and what might need improving?

 

... Oh, and "perfect" and "budget" rarely go together ...

 

Like "perfect" and "marriage" or "military" and intelligence" or "Jeep" and "reliable".

 

I'd sell the 85 for what you have in it, and go get a Land Cruiser!

 

This is a very good point. i will be taking 1-4 week trips with it. i have already been looking into ways to save space while adding water (and fuel) reservoirs/living quarter modifications, and things of that nature. I plan on running 33x10.50s and i am building my bumpers, both front and rear, this weekend. I plan on the rig seeing snow the most, being that snowy mountains are my absolute most favorite things in the world. i am not a big hot climate person. i will also be forging rivers, and traveling in terrains that are high in mud and water so a snorkel is a must. as you can tell by my username, i am not worried about having a beverly hills lifestyle on these trips, i really enjoy roughing it.



thanks for all of the thought provoking questions and comments everyone.