1987 4Runner- Expedition Build Up.

[corax]

I fit 33x10.5s on stock backspaced rims with rear OME Dakars (short/lower leaf removed), stock length shackles and nothing done to the front - haven't rubbed yet and rides/tows real nice. I may end up flattening the body seam a bit next time I have the wheels off just to be safe.
(no recent pics, this is before the new rims & 33x10.5s - slightly raked)

here's my rear suspension install in case it helps you any

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Just filled the truck up with gas, 171 miles 12.3 gallons.... 14mpg?!? ******???:Wow1: That was a mix of city, hwy, and 4low rock crawling... And the fuel gauge showed to be empty at 12.3 gallons, doesnt the truck have 17 gallons?

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Just ordered the BJ spacers from 4Crawler Offroad. After looking at his LSPV bracket, I can make my own for whatever lift I put on the truck...

Still trying to decide on the shocks. Bilstein or OME. Going to see how much It'll cost to get the springs and shocks from Toyota of Dallas.

Hey Mike, its Jacque that I need to talk to?


I've been working on some rock sliders.... :sombrero:

The vertical bits are going to have a plate on top. The sliders will welded to the frame itself and then bolted to the body in those two spots. I reckon this will give plenty of support for them bouncing on rocks. I've not really inspected any other sliders before... infact, I didnt look up what other folks are doing before conquering this project! I'll have to find something to test them on I guess. An after thought.... one that I guess experience or research would have told me otherwise..... I only butted the frame supports to the outer part of the slider. I'm not sure how well those welds will hold? The welds have good penetration, but again, I lack the experience to judge. Maybe I need to add some gussets plates to the top and bottom at each butt joint?

This is actually my first big welding project....

How are my welds? I'm using a Lincoln Welder 125.

 

[Box Rocket]

If you're going with OME springs, might I suggest getting them from Cruiser Outfitters. Kurt (the owner) is top notch in every regard and has some of the best customer service anywhere IMO. He also has very competitive pricing on all ARB products including the OME suspension stuff. It's at least worth checking them out to see what he can do on pricing.

As for shocks.....it depends a little bit on the type of trails you'll be on. I really like the 5100 series shocks from Bilstien, but if you are running a bit higher speed on fireroads I like the 5150's with the piggyback reservior to handle the heat of higher speed suspension travel. the 7100 series remote reservior shocks are awesome but probably overkill.

But since you're doing OME springs, the OME shocks will be designed to work with those springs so they are a good option as well.

You mentioned the RS9000 shocks for adjustability. The adjustability is cool, but I had a set of them on my FJ40 for a long time and they were fine but I found I had far superior ride quality from the Bilsteins on my 40 and my minitrucks, even without any adjustability.

 

[Box Rocket]

Also, DIY projects are always fun so good job tackling the sliders.

the welds seem adequate to me, although not the prettiest. My concern is with the wall thickness of the material you are using. Seems a little light to me. I don't know what that material cost you, hopefully not much so the project doesn't suck away your mod money. One really good option for sliders are the ones from Marlin Crawler. Really hard to beat his cost on sliders especially for what you get. I'm even using a set of them (67" ones designed for an extracab minitruck) on my FZJ80. They have been really good, even under my heavy cruiser. They've taken hard hits I can lift the vehicle using the slider as a jack point. I've been really pleased with them and really they are an inexpensive quality option.

 

[LostSoul]

If you're going with OME springs, might I suggest getting them from Cruiser Outfitters. Kurt (the owner) is top notch in every regard and has some of the best customer service anywhere IMO. He also has very competitive pricing on all ARB products including the OME suspension stuff. It's at least worth checking them out to see what he can do on pricing.

X1000

http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/

 

[RU55ELL]

From the look of the undground weld, it looks like you are moving too fast. Slow down your travel and get some better penetration.

EDIT: And for the LSPV, just cut the rod close to the LSPV and remove the link from the axle totally.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

The material was free. Its sturdy enough to give way a bit if necessary before breaking the welds I think. I'm probably going to have to do the plates and gussets I mentioned earlier.

The welder is gasless, so the welds arent going to look that great anyways.

RU55EL, on most of the welds, I grounded them usually within a foot of the welding location.

A newb question, since you say I'm going too fast, do I need to build up more of a puddle as I move along? I've got the welder set on the highest setting and it is making the metal glow red around the weld and then turning nice an blue around and behind the welds (as in the butt joint for the frame locations).

Also, DIY projects are always fun so good job tackling the sliders.

the welds seem adequate to me, although not the prettiest. My concern is with the wall thickness of the material you are using. Seems a little light to me. I don't know what that material cost you, hopefully not much so the project doesn't suck away your mod money. One really good option for sliders are the ones from Marlin Crawler. Really hard to beat his cost on sliders especially for what you get. I'm even using a set of them (67" ones designed for an extracab minitruck) on my FZJ80. They have been really good, even under my heavy cruiser. They've taken hard hits I can lift the vehicle using the slider as a jack point. I've been really pleased with them and really they are an inexpensive quality option.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

I just caught my pants on fire.... no burns... singed hair and a few cuss words though......:campfire:

 

[Box Rocket]

I just caught my pants on fire.... no burns... singed hair and a few cuss words though......:campfire:

Been there, done that.

It's a strange experience when you're thinking, "man, my nuts are getting hot", and you look down and they're on fire! This was from grinding sparks, not weld splatter.

Keep it safe out there.

 

[ntsqd]

Just filled the truck up with gas, 171 miles 12.3 gallons.... 14mpg?!? ******???:Wow1: That was a mix of city, hwy, and 4low rock crawling... And the fuel gauge showed to be empty at 12.3 gallons, doesnt the truck have 17 gallons?

My 84's gauge shows E in 93 miles. Goes from full to E in less than 5 miles. The trip odo is my friend. :sombrero:
On 33-10.50's with 4.88's with a carb'd 22R my safe distance is 250 miles per tank. I've gone as far as 325 miles on one tank (when I deliberately ran it dry to see how far it would go). I range around 17-19 mpg in fwy/hiway driving so long as I'm not pushing it too hard. I cruise between 2600 and 3200 rpms. The aftermarket cam in this engine seems to really like 2800, so I try to hold it there.

I'm running old school yellow 5100's up front and 7100 RR's on the rear (got the 7100's used). Eventually I'll be upgrading the front to 7100 RR's too. Prior to putting the 5100's up front I felt that the truck had no promise. It came to me with 8 single shock per tire application RS5000's on it. Even after removing 4 of them the ride quality was poor.
I'm LA though and that is a significant difference. T-bars have a high rising rate, and that takes some specialized valving. If there is a Bils that is specific to the front of your truck I would put them as the first choice. If you have to go with their Universal application shocks I'm not so sure that you'd be happy.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Been there, done that.

It's a strange experience when you're thinking, "man, my nuts are getting hot", and you look down and they're on fire! This was from grinding sparks, not weld splatter.

Keep it safe out there.

Yeh that was my thought. I'm working out in my cold garage... thinking hmm, that metal sure is warm, I like it.... and then I looked down to see my leg on fire up to my knee.

 

[Mr. Leary]

Been there, done that.

It's a strange experience when you're thinking, "man, my nuts are getting hot", and you look down and they're on fire! This was from grinding sparks, not weld splatter.

Keep it safe out there.

Yikes!

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Just burned another pair of pants and ripped a new ************ in the back of it....... Cant win for losing. :smilies27

And I've only built one slider so far....

 

[corax]

and that's why you should always have an extinguisher nearby - a small bucket of water is also good but be careful around the flux core welder with the water. Many flux core machines put voltage to the wire constantly, not just when you pull the trigger