A 1999 100 series LC landed in my lap...where do I start? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jan 17, 2017
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Location
Portland, OR
What would you all do if someone handed you a 1999 LC with 280,000 miles on it and you wanted to get it a bit more off road-capable? I figured tires/lift would be a good start, but I think I'll need to save up a bit more to lift it (unless you have any good budget options)...so I'm looking at new tires right now.

I found a good deal on a set of 33x12.5x15 BF KO2s on craigslist with about 1000 miles on them, I'm wondering if I'll have fitment issues on my stock 1999 100 series. I am new to the off road world, so I'm looking for any and all advice. I'll post pictures when I can, but the car is currently getting a flat tire taken care of.

Thanks for all the help.
 
Yeah no problem. Be careful on this site though, it starts with tires and then its a slippery slope from there. Lets see some pics of your new ride
 
^^^ yes, first thing you do is post up some pics! :cheers:
 
Drive it. You'll be surprised at how off-road capable it is without doing anything. Get rid of the running boards...poor man's lift and tires. Seriously though, whether it's for appearance or performance, dropping the running boards is a good start.
 
Thanks for all the help, everyone. I'm picking up the car tonight from the shop, hopefully there'll be enough light to post some pictures! I'd like to get some 295/75/16 KO2's on the car, but I'm a bit nervous about clearance. It seems maxing the torsion bars and putting in 20mm spacers in the front as well as 10mm trim packers in the rear have worked for others to achieve what I'm looking for. What price should I expect to pay for parts and labor if I were to go that route? I'm just looking for ball park figures so I don't get screwed...or should I just buy the parts and install it myself so I can learn more about these things? You all are awesome.
 
Thanks for all the help, everyone. I'm picking up the car tonight from the shop, hopefully there'll be enough light to post some pictures! I'd like to get some 295/75/16 KO2's on the car, but I'm a bit nervous about clearance. It seems maxing the torsion bars and putting in 20mm spacers in the front as well as 10mm trim packers in the rear have worked for others to achieve what I'm looking for. What price should I expect to pay for parts and labor if I were to go that route? I'm just looking for ball park figures so I don't get screwed...or should I just buy the parts and install it myself so I can learn more about these things? You all are awesome.
30mm, not 20mm spacers
 
I don't think there are spacers for the front.... I ran 285s on stock suspension for a long time. and offroaded with no rubbing, 295s should be fine on stock suspension. I have wheeled a lot in 2 years on 33in tires and a cheapo ~1in lift and continue to be impressed how well these trucks do in close to stock form.
 
I don't think there are spacers for the front.... I ran 285s on stock suspension for a long time. and offroaded with no rubbing, 295s should be fine on stock suspension. I have wheeled a lot in 2 years on 33in tires and a cheapo ~1in lift and continue to be impressed how well these trucks do in close to stock form.
Yes I was wrong on that, it seems adding 40mm total of spacers to the rear have worked well for getting 295's in there. Thanks for the info on the cheap lift...I have called a few LC shops in the area and they seem very dismissive of going the spacer route vs a whole suspension lift, but I just don't have the money for that right now. Its good to hear that a spacer lift can still work!
 
Drive it. You'll be surprised at how off-road capable it is without doing anything. Get rid of the running boards...poor man's lift and tires. Seriously though, whether it's for appearance or performance, dropping the running boards is a good start.
Yes! I'm taking the running boards off first thing, then I'll be out driving this weekend getting a better feel for what I have. Thanks for the input!
 
Congrats on your new build, I also have a high mileage 99 LC100 that runs great. I started with taking off the running boards, and adding 03' OEM 18" wheels with BFG AT 285/75/16s, and added a Rola Rack basket with extension and its great already. Next is lift and sliders!
 
Congrats on your new build, I also have a high mileage 99 LC100 that runs great. I started with taking off the running boards, and adding 03' OEM 18" wheels with BFG AT 285/75/16s, and added a Rola Rack basket with extension and its great already. Next is lift and sliders!
Awesome! I'm really looking forward to getting out there with this thing. Its actually my Mom's old car, she bought it new back in 1999 and it was the car that took me to and from school everyday growing up. She gifted it to me this Christmas and I couldn't be happier to take it into the next stage of its life. Time to transform it from soccer mom cruiser to off road cruiser.
 
@Myteus so my cheap lift consisted of Old Man Emu 2865 rear coils and a spacer. Along with a crank of the TB about an inch to match. $200 plus an alignment.
 
@Myteus so my cheap lift consisted of Old Man Emu 2865 rear coils and a spacer. Along with a crank of the TB about an inch to match. $200 plus an alignment.
Now that I can afford. Thanks for the info! Do you have a build thread regarding what you did at all?
 

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