Okay here goes. First, thanks for the welcome. I am a newbie in all senses and not that mechanical so some questions may appear to be dumb. I am purchasing a LC 2004 with 128k. I am getting it for 10k, but it need a lot of work. I would like to do all of it at the same time. I want to start with a good base car. I have priced out stuff and think I will be putting around 6-7k in it. The things i am considering are:
1) First off i want to lift it 2.5 because that seems to be the height to go to with out needing to change anything else on the car other than lift kit stuff. The kits i looked at were old man emu and bilstein lifts. I would like to use bilstein shocks because i have them now and love them. What is the best kit that has them or can i piece a kit together? I have seen something called a diff drop mentioned an the slee kits and am wondering if i am overlooking something. The other kits do not mention this. So basically, what kit should i use? Mechanic has assured me that a 2.5 lift will not do any excessive wear on the car except for lower gas mileage and power off the line. That may be dumb to but i guess i just thought maybe i was shortening the life of car or components in car by lifting it, which i was told i am not doing.
2) I found some really cool wheels that i think would look good. They are Enkei st6 gunmetal wheels. They are pictured in the link below. If the link does not work you can see them by googling "enkei st6 gunmetal photo" and the picture with the fj shows them well.
http://fatlace.com/lacedup/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/405A8064.jpg
They seem to come in only 17 and up. I have been told by a mechanic that if i will be offroading not that much, and do not want to hear the tires that i should get Goodrich all terrains. When i told him the lift size of 2.5 or so he recommended a 295/75. well the current stock rim is 18 inch and i cant seem to find a 295/75 BFG all terrain in anything bigger than a 16. i guess i could go to a 16 but i really want the enkei's and they dont come in below 17 i think..... i dont know how to deal with this. this could be an ignorant thing on my part. I just want to make sure i have a good tire / lift ratio. I cringe inside driving down the road when i see trucks that have messed this up.
3) I was thinking of using a Borla exhaust cat back system. It seems expensive but everyone says they are nice. I dont want to sound overly aggressive but everyone i talked to says the growl will be car appropriate and that i will love it. I also want to add a reese hide a hitch for light towing but hope that wont get in way. Is this a hot exhaust? (hahahahhaha)
4) I was adding magnaflow catalytic converters at 125 each because it needs it. will they affect power and am i shortchanging myself by not adding a more expensive set? any reccomendations on it?
5) I also am adding a timing belt because the former owner did not so am getting an ac delco kit with water pump. does it matter what king of kit i get as long as it includes water pump stuff?
6) i am adding performance rotors and ceramic pads up front. i guess you can see the rotors through the rims so for a few bucks why not add performance.
7) there is a lot of rust under the car. it was from up north. it does not seem to be so major that i should walk away from the deal, but it is something to be aware of. I am sure it will last a long time. The question that has been batted around is if it is worth putting a new undercoating on it??? Of course dealer says yes (dont those guys get kickbacks for every undercoating????) but private mechanic that will be doing the work says probably not to do it because you will trap all that is currently there underneath it. Anotehr mechanic says take care of my car and dont worry about it.
8) Lastly, I have been quoted prices for all of this by a dealer and they seem excessive. (DUHHH, right?) This car is out of any kind of warranty situation so i dont know why i would go to a dealer for any of this. The work being done that i have mentioned does not seem highly technical and i have been assured by the mechanic that he can handle it easily. He is a great guy and has over 25 years of experience on all cars. I was referred to him by an important person in the community whose car he deals with and i think he would say if it was too much.
I cant wait to hear some of your responses. I know it is a lot but if i can get some good advice i will make sure to post photos and be a fun contributor here. Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
