Hey all! Just picked up this 92 SR5. Was originally from California, brought to Japan at some point and then recently imported back up to New England where I picked up. It has 22" wheels and 37" tires, 6 inch body lift and 4 inch or so suspension lift. It was originally black but was resprayed white. It was suggested to start a "build" thread although it's more of a journey while I take this truck down a notch.

Here's my plan..

Put smaller tires/wheels on it for sure, 31's or 33's, not sure yet though. Suggestions? I want it to look proportional.
Remove body lift but keep suspension lift.
Replace grill with chrome grill.
I was going to replace the bumper with a chrome one but both bumper halves look factory white since the inside is rusty white, didn't know they came like that.
I need to repair or replace the 4wd shifter linkage as it was modified for the lift, but also the pinion piece is busted. Can't find them anywhere though.
I also need a new steering column cover (clam shell), this one literally broke apart into pieces as I removed it.
Replace timing belt/waterpump/pulleys and new coolant.
New front brakes.

Body and frame/underside is 'mint' for the year, very minor rust spots here and there (on bolts and suspension pieces, etc) but for the year, it's in very nice shape.

The only concern I have is a little chatter from the front of the engine, still not sure what it is, quite confident it's not internal nor do I believe it's a normal noise for these but we'll see.

Anyway, that's it for now, check out the pics and I look forward to all of your suggestions as I go along!

 

Here are some fresh pics of after getting her home and removing the fender flares.

 

FIrst thing I did was remove most of the aftermarket stereo wiring and the Japanese highway toll box, I didn;t take pictures of that though so nothing to show there though.

After that was to tackle the body lift removal. They used some 6" plastic blocks and some seriously long bolts.




So I disconnected the broken shift linkage, loosened the steering shaft joints, lifted one side to remove the lift blocks. I placed 3" pieces of 2x4 underneath because I didn't want to drop one side 6 inches at a time. I then slowly worked her way down onto new mounts. I did the cab first and then the body.

I'm running into one issue so far. I was able to lower the cab on to the frame, but I still need to slide the entire cab forward about 1/2 inch but the interior steering slip joint is bottomed out and I seem to have no more adjustment anywhere. Steering shafts look factory so I can't figure it out. I'm stumped. Here are a few photos.. Need suggestions on this one..

 

Hmm, does it look like they welded a section in? No doubt that it would have needed to be extended for the body lift. Can you take it out completely for now (between box and firewall)?

 

exactly what I was thinking but I went through his pictures and found this it looks like a weld on the steering column which is one of the worst ways to do it

 

I’m probably going to do that today, I was hoping to find a solution before removing it. I can’t find any more slip areas though.

 

Here's what we got. I have no idea what the upper shaft should look like from the factory, but this is what I'm working with. The welds do look a little unprofessional, which is why I'm thinking it's been modified from factory.

 

Yeah that’s not how they came originally. I recommend finding a different shaft you’ll probably only find a used one. You could post a WTB in the classified section of this forum and see if anyone has anything they would be willing to sell
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yup. Shes been lengthened. either cut it shorter or find a stocker.

 

Thanks for confirming!

 

Time to recap..

Remove body lift and install temporary wheels / tires - CHECK
Oil change - CHECK
Timing belt / water pump / idler pulley, etc replaced - CHECK
Full coolant flush (took almost 10 flushes to get it sort of clear) - CHECK
Replaced steering shaft with a factory shaft from eBay - CHECK
Shorten and weld 4wd shift linkage back to stock length and install - CHECK
Replace front brakes (rotors and pads) - CHECK
Replace fan clutch and heater control valve - CHECK (now she doesn't like a dump truck all of the time!)
Replace air filter - CHECK

Next on the list is tire balancing and full alignment. Then I want to take it to my local mechanic for a complete checkup (engine health along with exhaust and suspension component check). I do need new exhaust, no doubt, but I want to see if I have any leaks before the cats.

When the previous owner did the lift, they left the connection for the 4HI/LO harness unplugged but I can't find what it plugs into, can someone identify where the plug is to connect the pigtail coming off of the front differential? I assume that goes to the indicator on the dash.

More to come!