mods you wouldnt do again ...

jeffryscott

2006 Rally Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
After some of the discussion about the Toyota "deck plate mod," I got to thinking about mods like that that maybe aren't all they are cracked up to be.

What mods have people done that they wish they hadn't, or had done differently.

Me, I'm moving slowly on my 4Runner and have found a wealth of info out there so I haven't any regrets as of yet.

But on the infamous Suzuki, I don't think I'd have done the body lift if I had a do-over. It really changed the rid and cracked the body in a few spots where too much weight was on the 2-inch blocks.
 

mountainpete

Spamicus Eliminatus
One that comes top of mind has to do with my rear canopy/topper. I should have purchased windoors as a factory option. Boy do I ever regret that and I will eventually shell out the $500 to have them replaced. Everytime I crawl in the back I regret it.

Pete
 

offroad_nomad

Adventurer
Probably the mod I regret is installing my adjustable Sway-Away Coilovers up front. The threads for adjusting them have seized due to winter driving on salted roads.
 

Colorado Ron

Explorer
Remote for Rancho 9000s. Took forever to track all the leaks. That system really sucks! I heard it from several others and thought, nahhhh--I can make it work. What a pain.
 

articulate

Expedition Leader
Clever thread, Jeff.

I found that comment about the Sway-Aways interesting - it's details like that that make the difference. I'd probably not install the snorkel on my Jeep. Great conversation piece, gets all the looks, but it was $250 that could have been spent elsewhere. At the time, though, I was a bachelor and making quite a living --- what else does a guy do?

On the Frontier, some little things that come to mind are really basic and easy to undo, such as the placement of aux. fuse block, and the size of the water tank. Something not so easy to do is move my water fill inlet. I drilled that sucker right into the body panel, and now I wish I would have put it in a vertical position on the floor of the truck bed. 1-1/2" hole.

Great thread.
 

bigreen505

Expedition Leader
Poly bushings in places that can't be/can't easily be greased -- they squeak loudly.

Stiffer suspension in prep for a bull bar/winch combo that was never installed and other decisions aimed at fully loaded expedition driving at the expense of daily and unloaded driving.

Anything that says Clarion on it. I hate to single out a specific brand, but literally every piece of audio equipment my family has owned since about 1986 has died very quickly out of warranty.
 

HenryJ

Expedition Leader
K&N FIPK. Poorly designed throttle body adapter that will not retain the hat.

Vararam. Just doesn't work.

Bosch Platinum Plus Four sparkplugs. Caused a midrange surge and lousy mileage.

NGK Irridium sparkplugs. Lack an irridium outer electrode and wear out way too fast for the price paid.

MSD Blaster coil. Failed prematurely. Stock coil is more than sufficient.
 

goodtimes

Expedition Poseur
Cheap shocks.

Goodyear MT/R's.

Pretty much any engine or transmission modification (exceptions for transmission coolers and larger radiators).
 

flyingwil

Supporting Sponsor - Sierra Expeditions
Plain and simply the deckplate mod... I knew I would go to a snorkel, but I did it anyways. The other will be drilling into the dash for a GPS mount that later caught on fire... now I just have some nice holes...
 

jeffryscott

2006 Rally Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
goodtimes said:
Goodyear MT/R's.

What would you go with instead?


Oh, and thinking of snorkels, I would have bought a cheap aftermarket quarter panel to drill into instead of my factory one on the Suzuki. After seeing them for $50 or so locally, it would have made it much easier and cleaner to go back to stock when I traded it in. If I ever get a snorkel for the 4Runner I will go that route.
 
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Grim Reaper

Expedition Leader
Detroit locker on a truck that see's a lot of street. Loved cruising my 75 Jimmy all over the place right up till the Detroit. It was awesome off road but on road in a curve you could steer the truck with the gas peddle. You always had to keep after it to go down the road straight. It made driving it a chore.

Polly body mounts. Just too much noise transmitted in the cab if you run without carpet.
 

toyrunner95

Explorer
KC slims on my 4runner, good lord, i didnt install them but whoever did was dumber than a box of rocks.

they used that little fuse wire connecter to use an existing fuse, (dont ever use those BTW) and they hooked it to the tail light fuse, so anytime any of the 4 bulbs would go out or the fuse itself, i couldent shift out of park, major pain in the ass. AND the screws that hold in the lenses rusted shut, by the time i was done they were hed together with duct tape. and that goes for any KC light, HOWEVER; the lights worked fine besides bulbs going out every once in a while.

or the procrap 4" lift on my automatic 4runner. UG!
 

kcowyo

ExPo Original
I spent more money than necessary on a Magnaflow exhaust system complete with their muffler and Hi-Flo cat.

Mine needed replacing at the time and the price was comparable to Toyota OEM, but I fell for the name and hype regarding HP gains. Only thing I can tell I gained is a throaty tone that belies my years when driving down main street.

I went the other way on a roof rack, not falling for Garvin's name or price tag and wound up with a chintzy piece that just sits in a corner in storage because I don't trust it's build quality enough to use it.
 

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