Hey guys,
I am a noob to LC’s, but not to wheeling. I’ve had a bunch of K5’s ranging from relatively stock to monsters sitting on 40’s and one tons that could tackle any trail. I also had a 89 4runner that got linked and driven all over the SW US, from the Rubicon to Pritchett trail. My wife and kids are tired of going in a big loud blazer and we don’t all fit in a 4runner, so now, we have a luxury wheeler project that I can waste my time and money on. I just finished a LQ9 swap into my 1967 Nova, so this thing will get most of my wrenching attention.
I was going to buy a built rig, but to tell the truth, building is half the fun so I found this 97 LX with a184k miles on it that was driven by a woman who worked for the American Cancer Society. The truck had a ton of records, already had the head gasket replaced and is pretty clean, some clear coat peeling, but I don’t care as I got what I believe to be a good deal.
My plan is to use this to go on moderate wheeling trips with the family, camping, and to be able to drive it to and from any destination. With that said my plan is to go thought all the normal maintenance (plugs, cables, distributor, PHH, fluids, etc..), drive it around for a while and then start my build that will look like:
Phase 1: DONE
75mm Slinky
35” Tires Cooper STT Pro
ARB Lockers front and back
4.88 gears
Phase 2: Done
Smittybuilt 10k
Sliders - Trail Gear
4x4Labs Tire and Extra Fuel swing out
Front Bumper - Trail Gear Stinger
Belly Skid - IPOR
Phase 3: Done
New rotors
2wd Part Time kit
Lower Gears
Phase 4: Done
Wheel the sh*t out of it
Hood vents
Drawer system
Phase 5: Done
37's
De clad
Paint (ish)
Fix what broke in Phase 4
Thank you to everybody who contributed to the FAQ section and who posts here, I have been reading a ton and frankly you guys make it pretty easy.
I am a noob to LC’s, but not to wheeling. I’ve had a bunch of K5’s ranging from relatively stock to monsters sitting on 40’s and one tons that could tackle any trail. I also had a 89 4runner that got linked and driven all over the SW US, from the Rubicon to Pritchett trail. My wife and kids are tired of going in a big loud blazer and we don’t all fit in a 4runner, so now, we have a luxury wheeler project that I can waste my time and money on. I just finished a LQ9 swap into my 1967 Nova, so this thing will get most of my wrenching attention.
I was going to buy a built rig, but to tell the truth, building is half the fun so I found this 97 LX with a184k miles on it that was driven by a woman who worked for the American Cancer Society. The truck had a ton of records, already had the head gasket replaced and is pretty clean, some clear coat peeling, but I don’t care as I got what I believe to be a good deal.
My plan is to use this to go on moderate wheeling trips with the family, camping, and to be able to drive it to and from any destination. With that said my plan is to go thought all the normal maintenance (plugs, cables, distributor, PHH, fluids, etc..), drive it around for a while and then start my build that will look like:
Phase 1: DONE
75mm Slinky
35” Tires Cooper STT Pro
ARB Lockers front and back
4.88 gears
Phase 2: Done
Smittybuilt 10k
Sliders - Trail Gear
4x4Labs Tire and Extra Fuel swing out
Front Bumper - Trail Gear Stinger
Belly Skid - IPOR
Phase 3: Done
New rotors
2wd Part Time kit
Lower Gears
Phase 4: Done
Wheel the sh*t out of it
Hood vents
Drawer system
Phase 5: Done
37's
De clad
Paint (ish)
Fix what broke in Phase 4
Thank you to everybody who contributed to the FAQ section and who posts here, I have been reading a ton and frankly you guys make it pretty easy.
Last edited: