Summitbeerowl's 93 Toyota Truck Build

[Summitbeerowl]

Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by my build.
I’ve had the truck for about 20 years now and have always wanted to do something with it but just never got around to it due to money or just not having the time.
Well, now it’s starting to show some rust around each fender and there are a few spots here and there (rear bumper etc) that also need some attention.
So it’s get rid of it and buy something new or stick some money into it and fix it up and transform it into an expedition truck of sorts. We do some mountain biking so we haul the bikes in the box (great to have a 6’ box) and would like to use it for a bit of camping/exploring.
Since I only drive it about 1,200 miles a year it only makes sense to me, to throw some money into it. I just can’t justify (right now) a $40,000 + truck.
This site has been great for getting ideas and now hopefully I can receive some suggestions from all of you on what I can do.
My plan so far is to have the truck repainted in January. I have a topper and so will also have this sprayed to match.
New rims and tires are needed. Ok, mine really are fine but I came across these Stealth Custom Series Ray 10 wheels and I think I need them.
The trucks original size tire is a 31” and so that’s what I’ve always had on it. I seem to have the greatest luck with BFGs and so will probably continue with this brand when I buy new ones. I’d like to go up in size to at least a 33” but then I’ve seen some with 35s on and wow, I like that too.
I guess I’m going to need some help there with what to do.
Right now on the back I have aftermarket leaf springs that I purchased years ago from Northwest off-road specialties to fix the sag in the back that Toyotas were known for. After taking care of this I had the front torsion bars cranked up a bit to level the truck out. I had purchased the new springs as a set along with new 25mm torsion bars (it was listed as a 1.5”lift) but never had the torsion bars installed. Now the truck looks good but rides rough. Not sure if I should install the new torsion bars and see if this helps the ride or just go with a whole new lift kit and raise the truck 4 inches and make sure I can fit 33” to 35” tires on. If I lift the truck will 33”-35” fit? If I leave the truck the height it is would 33” fit?
Once the truck is repainted I’d like to throw a rack on the top of the topper. No idea yet of what kind or from where.
A new bumper is needed on the back as mine seems to be humping up in the center and rusting through. When I find what I like, I’d also like to match it to a new front bumper preferably one with a winch. I probably don’t need a winch but hey, it looks cool and there is always that one time that I could probably use one. I like the plated bumpers like the Warn or the ARB but can’t believe how expensive they are. Tube bumpers…not that big of a fan.
Minor things that need to be done are a new muffler. Mine is shot. When I went online to look for a new exhaust system I was kinda disappointed that there wasn’t the selection there was when I looked years ago. I remember all these fancy exhaust systems like Borla that were stainless steel and had such good ratings. Now nothing when I actually need one. So no idea what to get now.
Oh, looking at putting on some fender flares too. Not sure what brand or width yet. Id like to have these painted the same as the truck.
So where do I start?
Do I order new rims and tires so I know how high the truck needs to be and also be able to tell the width needed for flares?
I guess as I write this I’m kinda thinking 33” are what I would like for tires. But then will I have to change out the gearing? Since I’m going to have to find someone to either do some of this work or give me a hand, am I better off just sticking with 31”? I can build you a house from the ground up, but I’ve never worked on a vehicle before. That’s not to say I cant learn.
Well, there’s the start to my Toyota Truck Build. Hopefully I’ll get some feedback from you so I know where to start.
Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[surlydiesel]

I'll just chime in and say, nice foundation! 35's on that truck require at least 4 inches of lift and most likely some cutting of body panels to prevent rubbing. If you put in the front torsion bars that you already have, you should gain back some of the ride quality you lost when you tightened your stock ones. Get some fresh higher quality shocks and maybe some 255/85R16 tires or some other narrow 33 inch tire and you should be set. There is a chance you will feel the need to re-gear after you put the taller/heavier tires on. I know I most likely would "need" to regear, so I'm still running 32 inch tires on my truck. These trucks are so reliable stock, that it is hard for me to want to do much in the way of modifications. Bumpers and related are nice but again, are they necessary??? That's up to you...

Looking forward to documented progress.

Cheers,
Jorge

 

[screwball48]

I am going to say this while hiding behind a big tree.....put a body lift on it. Combined with the torsion bars you already have a body lift will allow 33" tires no problem. You will notice a difference in power with that size tire, just make sure you are in no hurry to get anywhere.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[bkg]

I am going to say this while hiding behind a big tree.....put a body lift on it. Combined with the torsion bars you already have a body lift will allow 33" tires no problem. You will notice a difference in power with that size tire, just make sure you are in no hurry to get anywhere.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

1.5" 4crawler body lift combined with 1.5" from balljoint spacers and plenty or room for 33's.


I had 93 with 4" trail master kit and a 94 4Runner with superlift. I know they get a bad wrap, but they worked well. Preferred the superlift due to construction. Both rigs ran 33's. Just depends on the goals.

 

[Thoryota]

33x10.50's will fit stock. Based on what I see in the picture 33's should fit no problem. Depending on what code is on your door plate you might already have enough gearing for the taller tire. For example b04b is the code for 4.56 gears. Those gears are suitable for 33's. 35's will require 4.88's at the least with 5.29's being the best. There is charts online that have all the codes for the factory gear sets.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

I'll just chime in and say, nice foundation! 35's on that truck require at least 4 inches of lift and most likely some cutting of body panels to prevent rubbing. If you put in the front torsion bars that you already have, you should gain back some of the ride quality you lost when you tightened your stock ones. Get some fresh higher quality shocks and maybe some 255/85R16 tires or some other narrow 33 inch tire and you should be set. There is a chance you will feel the need to re-gear after you put the taller/heavier tires on. I know I most likely would "need" to regear, so I'm still running 32 inch tires on my truck. These trucks are so reliable stock, that it is hard for me to want to do much in the way of modifications. Bumpers and related are nice but again, are they necessary??? That's up to you...

Looking forward to documented progress.

Cheers,
Jorge

Thanks for the reply. I'm really leaning toward 33" now. just not sure how they will work on the Stealth Ray 10 wheels. Not sure how they will stick out compared to stock. And I think your right, I need to get those torsion bars on.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

I am going to say this while hiding behind a big tree.....put a body lift on it. Combined with the torsion bars you already have a body lift will allow 33" tires no problem. You will notice a difference in power with that size tire, just make sure you are in no hurry to get anywhere.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Glad it wasn't too big of a tree so that i could hear you. lol. Whats your recommendation for the height of a body lift? Would 1" be enough. I've never actually seen a body lift in person so I dont know much about them. How does it affect things like the shifters inside the cab? Is everything just an inch shorter? How much power will I loose with 33s? I'd like to still set the cruise at 80 down the interstate.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

1.5" 4crawler body lift combined with 1.5" from balljoint spacers and plenty or room for 33's.


I had 93 with 4" trail master kit and a 94 4Runner with superlift. I know they get a bad wrap, but they worked well. Preferred the superlift due to construction. Both rigs ran 33's. Just depends on the goals.

I took a look at 4crawler's website. Wow, thats a lot of reading material. Would you recommend the body lift and ball joint spacers over a 4" lift? I certainly like the price of 4crawlers stuff. Whats your thoughts on a 1" body lift, 1.5" ball joint spacer, a 1' diff drop (also from 4crawler) and a longer spring shackle on the back for my heavy duty springs that i already have on?

 

[Summitbeerowl]

33x10.50's will fit stock. Based on what I see in the picture 33's should fit no problem. Depending on what code is on your door plate you might already have enough gearing for the taller tire. For example b04b is the code for 4.56 gears. Those gears are suitable for 33's. 35's will require 4.88's at the least with 5.29's being the best. There is charts online that have all the codes for the factory gear sets.

Thanks for the reply. If i go with the Stealth wheels I'm going to have to go to a comparable metric size since their rims are 16 and 17 inch. I'll go 16 since i like to see lots of tire plus i think for the year of the truck a person can get too large of a wheel. ive got 20s on my Touareg and they look great. On my truck I think they would look ridiculous. So know the question is with their rim as a 16x8 and a back spacing of 4" and an offset of 12mm, how will this look on? will it stick out further. I'd probably lean toward 285/75R16 which looks to be about 32.8x11.2R16. But maybe this is too wide? Would 255/85R16 be better which shows to be about 33.1x10R16? If that 10R means 10" wide then that would be a bit skinnier then what I have on now and I'm not sure I would like that.
In reguards to your code on the door plate I'm not quite seeing what to look at so heres a pic of mine. What do I have for gears?

 

[screwball48]

What drivetrain does the truck have? 4cyl 5spd, 6cyl auto? I had a 1988 (previous body style) it was a 22re 4cyl with 5 spd. The truck had a 3" body lift when I purchased it, and was running 33" tires on 15x10" wheels. I won zero drag races but frequently cruised down the interstate without problems. I would say if you can achieve 1.5" lift with new bars and the rear springs then a 1.5" body lift should do fine. Body lifts are simple to install. The most difficult areas are the steering column and shifter.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[michel77]

I think on your door sticker, the G254 is the gearing. According to below website, and after deciphering a bit, it would seem you have 4.56 gears.

http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/tech/toyota-differential-identification-18588.html

 

[Thoryota]

You have 4.56 gears Summitbeerowl. You are good to go with 33's. A friend of mine ran 35x12.50x15's with the 4 inch lift on the almost twin to your truck with no problems. He had 4.56 gears with the 3.0 and 5spd. I am running 32x11.50x15's on 15x8 Cragar soft 8's with 4 1/2'' back spacing. The tires stick out roughly an inch to an inch and half past the fenders. Looks good in my opinion. Keep in mind I have zero lift on my truck other than a couple cranks to the torsion bars to level it up with the winch and bumper hanging on the front. With the wheels you are wanting your stickout should be very close to what mine is. Granted my wheels have a +6.00mm offset. A 285/75x16 would look better than a 255 with that wide of a wheel based on the width of the tire. If you was to run the 255 tire, personally would go with a 7 inch wide wheel. This picture of my set up should give you a rough idea of what your stick out would look like.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

Just got my first bummed out moment as the rims I want won't exactly work on my truck. The Stealth Ray 10s won't fit over my front hubs and would have to be machined out at an additional cost. Plus then no center caps at all. Not too sure I like that idea? Any suggestions out there?

This is a pic from Stealth on what it would look like. Different style rim of course.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

I think on your door sticker, the G254 is the gearing. According to below website, and after deciphering a bit, it would seem you have 4.56 gears.

http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/tech/toyota-differential-identification-18588.html

Thanks michel77. Ya not the easiest chart to decipher. But looks like you and Thoryota agree. Now if only my Stealth wheel research had turned out better.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

You have 4.56 gears Summitbeerowl. You are good to go with 33's. A friend of mine ran 35x12.50x15's with the 4 inch lift on the almost twin to your truck with no problems. He had 4.56 gears with the 3.0 and 5spd. I am running 32x11.50x15's on 15x8 Cragar soft 8's with 4 1/2'' back spacing. The tires stick out roughly an inch to an inch and half past the fenders. Looks good in my opinion. Keep in mind I have zero lift on my truck other than a couple cranks to the torsion bars to level it up with the winch and bumper hanging on the front. With the wheels you are wanting your stickout should be very close to what mine is. Granted my wheels have a +6.00mm offset. A 285/75x16 would look better than a 255 with that wide of a wheel based on the width of the tire. If you was to run the 255 tire, personally would go with a 7 inch wide wheel. This picture of my set up should give you a rough idea of what your stick out would look like.

Thanks for more info. I like the stance of your truck. Stealth says theirs will stick out 1.3" which I think is great since I'd like to put flares on. Here's what they sent me....

"If you do have manual hubs, the wheels will not be a direct fit. There is a 3mm lip on the Ray10 that tapers in the centerbore that's used for the center cap to snap onto. This would have to be machined out in order for the wheel to seat flush on the rotors.

Compared to your stock wheels, our 16" Ray10 will sit approx. 1.30" wider. For tires, you have a choice of 285/75/16 if you like wide tires or 255/85/16 if you prefer the tall and skinny look. Both are 33" tall so you just have to have the right amount of lift to clear."