90runnerkid

Hello everyone,
This is my build thread for my 1990 v6 5-speed 4runner.
As it is currently (aug 2013):




History:

Bought it in February 2012 for $1650 - had 172,000 miles on it and clean body except for driver's door... As I was driving it home the check engine light came on... code 52 knock sensor fault... replaced knock sensor and pigtail (that was a pain)

Put some 32x11.5 tires on chevy rims I had laying around on it... had to pound on the front bumper a bit but it still rubbed fairly badly

Cranked the torsion bars (which mostly eliminated rubbing) and have been off-roading it since.

Thats my dad's 72 k5 blazer in the front

Edit: I completed my lift in October

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

Nice looking runner. Welcome to Yotatech. I had a 91 about like yours and really enjoyed it. I dont have any good answers as far as your lift questions, but someone will help you out eventually.

90runnerkid

Thanks man! I have definitely been enjoying it myself
All except for the lack of working a/c... Haha

90runnerkid

Well, time for a LONG overdue update! I was recently looking up some information here on yotatech when it occurred to me that I haven't updated my build in a long long time... although I've done many things to my rig in that time.

Lets see...

First, back at the end of July I did a fj80 landcruiser rear coil swap in order to get rid of all the rear end sag... and boy did it!


Then nothing happened for awhile...



Then around October I decided it was time to get some new tires. I got a deal on some general grabber 33s (red letters edition), and decided that I would install balljoint spacers in order to fit them under the fenders... a new idler arm and upper balljoint later I had this:


Recently, about a month ago I decided to paint my rims and grill black:

Much better!

And most recently, just over a week ago I decided to do an ISR mod. I was looking through the ISR pics thread and realized that it would be much simpler to buy a cheap intake off of ebay, rather than search around for all the necessary parts and spend nearly the same amount of money building my own. So I did for $40

It came out rather nicely, and sounds pretty good too


Thats all for now, the next mod will be a rear tire carrier / tailgate swap

Red Wagon

What intake is that? Do you have any pictures of installing it?

Notice any difference after?

90runnerkid

Its this one:
http://pages.ebay.com/motors/link/?n...d=250845878216

Blue:
http://pages.ebay.com/motors/link/?n...d=250845245559

Unfortunately I didn't take any pics while installing it, but it was pretty simple. I would recommend searching Ebay for "Chrome Intakes", they make a nicer kit for a little bit more (and comes with instructions). The one I got is pretty decent though - depends how much you want to spend. The only thing I would really recommend is oiling the filter with K&N or similar filter oil to keep the dust from going through it.
As far as seeing a difference, I have been doing too much offroading since installing it to tell gas-mileage wise. Power-wise, I would say very minimal difference with my 33s (but a little better throttle response).
It does sound very nice though - Virtually no extra noise at idle or when cruising, but a nice low growl when accelerating.
For $40, its not bad

kornhuskerwizard

looks like you have a great start! Id go with ome shocks over pro comps

Red Wagon

Nice. Thanks for the link.

Getting a stock tire carrier from the wrecker or building one?

90runnerkid

Thanks! Right now its got procomp es9000s all around, I was on a pretty tight budget when I bought all my lift components last summer For the cost though, Im pretty happy with how they ride - I removed the anti-sway bar when I did the front suspension so it does have a bit of body roll in the corners, but otherwise the ride isnt bad

90runnerkid

No problem! Im planning on just getting a stock one next time someone is parting out a white 4runner on Craigslist... I will need to swap the tailgate but because I dont have any plans for a custom rear bumper right now it makes more sense to go stock rather than trying to build one.

StewsRunner

iTrader: (1)

Hey man, where in California are you? Great looking truck!

90runnerkid

I live in the Markleeville / South Lake Tahoe area.
Thanks man, I have fun with it
Just checked out your build, looking nice! Got any plans for a lift / suspension mods?

90runnerkid

Some pics from recent offroad excursions:



This was a different trip, out in the pinenuts. The mud out there is unbelievable, it has so much clay in it that it just sticks to everything!

90runnerkid

I thought I'd post my experiences with the different gear I've used, in case it can help anyone else.

General Grabbers
These have been treating me pretty well for the past 6 months, and overall I am pretty impressed with them. On the roads, they behave nicely - no vibration, minimal road noise (quietest mud terrains I've ever heard). Off-road they perform decently, especially in the mud. I haven't had much testing of their durability yet, that will come after some more time on the trails. Absolutely terrible in the snow...

FJ80 Land Cruiser coils
These are awesome, they're cheap and add about 4-5in lift (varies depending on how much the originals sag, mine were sagging pretty badly). Nice and soft, combined with longer shocks (and panhard drop) they give a decent ride and just incredible flex for an otherwise-stock rear end. I love mine!

ProComp ES9000 Shocks
For the money, you really can't go wrong with these. They are nitrogen charged and give a really nice ride for the price. I've ridden in my buddies rig with Rancho oil - charged shocks and the ride quality was just not the same thing at all. Huge upgrade over stock!

$40 Ebay Intake
Sounds nice, looks nice under the hood
I got about 1mpg gas mileage gain (went from 18 to 19 mpg) after installing it, which was much more than I expected

a51young

Nice looking runner! Have you measured your rim to fended length with the fj coils in there? I've been thinking about going this route to get the rear back where it should be.

90runnerkid

Thanks! I haven't taken measurements from rim to fender, but they are definitely much taller than the stock springs. For the few months while I had them in the rear and nothing but cranked t-bars in the front, this is what it looked like:


So if you're looking for something to return a sagging rear to stock ride height, these are probably not what you need. But, for a bit of extra lift height they're pretty nice!

kornhuskerwizard

looks great!

Red Wagon

Just throwing in FJ coils will mess the rear end up. I bent my sway bar links and the axle was pushed to the passenger side quite a bit. The driveshaft was close to the petrol tank and the 4Runner leaned to the driver side.

You need to get a 4" Panhard drop bracket and do something about the LSPV or your rear brakes will not be working right.

I raised the valve with a bracket but am thinking about getting an adjustable valve to dial in how much the rear brakes grab. At present on slippery stuff my rear will lock up a touch before the front which is bad.

90runnerkid

It has been awhile since I've had the opportunity to work on my 4runner, but finally this last week I've been able to spend some quality time with her

After getting back from an awesome 3 day trip over the Rubicon with my dad, I decided last weekend that the time had come to install the aussie locker which I've had sitting in its box for a couple weeks now. The install went smoothly and Sunday I got to try it out - man what a difference! Went out on a trail to a difficult section where I had had to be winched up last time (very steep, twisty and with inconveniently located tree roots) - with the locker it went went right up without any problem! Lockers = Win

I also scored a swing-out tire carrier and matching tailgate from another yotatech member a couple of weeks ago... today I finished up installing them now I just gotta find a spare 33!

Pics tomorrow!

StewsRunner

iTrader: (1)

Hey man! I'm glad you had fun on the Rubicon, there is a small possibility of me doing the trail later this summer! I'm glad you saw an immediate difference with the Aussie but what could you say about it on the road so far? I was incredibly close to buying one for my old runner, glad I didn't... Haha.

Glad you got the tailgate/tire carrier on there, what did you do for the mounts behind it? Looking forward to seeing it! To be honest I already miss having the tire on the tailgate, maybe i'll learn to weld and build a tire carrier/bumper. Hope to see it work out for you!