I want to go off road.

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Jul 24, 2009
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So here is my 1995 4cyl 5speed 4runner.
Its 4x4 and I want to make use of that. But I dont know where to start.

I am mostly new to off roading, there have been a few times where a buddy and I have taken his 83 pickup through the woods, but its stock. And the woods are pretty simple.

Where is the best place to start? I kind of want an Cold air intake, because it is only the 4cylinder and its a bit heavy so it dose not have a ton of power. .

Any suggestions on how to get started.

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A Rear locker would be the first thing I would do but you would probably need to have that professionally installed.


As far as engine mods the cold air intake won't get you any additional power unless you get a header and an aftermarket exhaust.
 
Definitely a locker out back for good traction. Selectable's nice but a bit pricey, depending on your gearing an Aussie Locker works well in these rigs. Armor, specifically sliders, and a winch. Replace the saggy coils in back, etc. Basic stuff first. Then decide as you go what you need versus what is foof and not really necessary.
It all comes down to how big you want to go and how much you want to spend. As for a cold air, don't waste your time. You're better off with a good flowing exhaust and a possible rebuild w/ a better cam.

Feel free to refer to my build up thread, in my sig if you have any questions.
 
call it whellin. off roading sounds so yuppy. like the punks on the local news say...

unless you drive a rice rocket honda bottom scraper, scratch the idea of a cold air intake. that crap dont fly on a trail rig.

unless you wanna suck water in the engine, then go ahead...

those tires look like they need to be scrapped. slap on some BFG MT's.

you want to wheel? find some trucks around town that look they have been out wheelin. stick with toyotas. most guys in fords or chevys are pompus towards us cause were better and they cant admit that.

hook up with them and go wheelin
 
How much do you drive it on the road?
Auto or 5 speed?

1st in my book: ARMOR.
budbuilt x-member, skid and belly pan.
rock rails.
front bumper.

If it's going to see alot of street use, save your money and get a selectable rear locker.
somewhere in the mix a winch is good (even a cheapie if you're not going to wheel alot)
forget the "cold air" intake
And TIRES. el cheapo or street tires like to puncture.
I consider bfg all terrain ko or mud terrain a good place to start. (3 ply sidewalls)
with a little work you can clear 32X11.5r15.

This is addicting to alot of people.. it's REALLY easy to spend a LOT of money on this stuff....
 
Thanks for the quick responses.

1st. I know I need new tires, mine are pretty bald.

2nd. As far as armor goes, If I can fabricate my self should I?

3rd. Lockers, What do they do? and where are they located, Is it related to the
Differential?

Ill be sure to take pictures of the progress.
 
Locker, you can clear 33 10.50s with little or no lift, and yes it is addicting, thats where all my money goes. I run 31 10.50's with an aussie locker and you would be surprized how far you can go with just that. I agree about the armor, but it also depends on where you wheel (what type of terrain) I for one have no rocks here in north dakota but trees do find the paint. Good luck on your build and cheers! I am in a great mood I passed my check ride for instrument flight instructor today horay, going out!
 
Lockers... they lock both wheels together (simplest explanation)
The go into or replace your differential carrier (in the rear end) (or front)
I'm going to guess you're not ready to start fabbing your own armor.
If you don't have some tools to start cutting/grinding/bending/welding steel, there's not alot you can do.

I have a lot of tools... but i still can't bend 3/8's plate steel.

Budbuilt CAN :)

I have a full budbuilt set under my truck, an old alll-pro (I think) front bumper, and a monstrocity of a rear bumper I built, And rock rails that I built.

I use every last bit of it.
budbuilts will also help you grind over stuff you'd normally get caught on.

For a NW rig that's still fairly stock, I am in NO WAY dissapointed with my truck.
I have my armor, a warn winch, and I spooled the rear (full time lock) and I'm running 33x10.5r15 bfg mud terrains.
I pounded the s*** outta the front of the cab/back of the wheel wells, and they still rub a little, but it's not too bad.

The only real problem I have with my truck, is that I push it harder than I should. I am NOT very carefull with it, and my IFS has paid the price. I've put 4 or 5 idler arms in it, a new set of tie rods, and i'm on my 3rd power steering box.
 
Deff go w/ the BudBuilt, it's on my list still. What would you fab your sliders out of, if you can do fab and weld then, sure. People bend tube (DOM or HREW) or just use square and make cuts and angles. Jst be sure to do them right the first time. Me, if I had to do it over, I would still have a friend do them, just nowadays he's so busy I'd just consider whether or not to go w/ Marlin (closest vendor to me here).

Keep in mind as far as a locker, if you go the e-locker route you lose your rear sway bar, and some street stability as a result. Now, with Rix86's truck, remember a spool is for off pavement only and chews tires to shreds on anything hardpack or pavement.
 
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NorCalBorn said:
Deff go w/ the BudBuilt, it's on my list still. What would you fab your sliders out of, if you can do fab and weld then, sure. People bend tube (DOM or SUAW) or just use square and make cuts and angles. Jst be sure to do them right the first time. Me, if I had to do it over, I would still have a friend do them, just nowadays he's so busy I'd just consider whether or not to go w/ Marlin (closest vendor to me here).

Keep in mind as far as a locker, if you go the e-locker route you lose your rear sway bar, and some street stability as a result. Now, with Rix86's truck, remember a spool is for off pavement only and chews tires to shreds on anything hardpack or pavement.
Click to expand...
-50% tread life :D
 
Congrats on finding that body style with a 22re and 5 speed. All I can find around here are the 3.slows with auto's. That is a great base truck to build. almost as cool as the removable top style.
 
cold air intakes are the most overrated thing on any motor... I realize exhaust gas and heat sometimes recirculate in some systems, and factory systems do restrict air flow, but you know what that's called? FILTRATION... The best way to cut the life of a japanese engine in half is to run a cold air intake! The 22RE is an awesome motor, keep it stock and reliable...
 
First, technically, it's 'Off Highway', not 'off road'. If you drive off the [dirt]road on public land, you'll succeed in getting more and more dirt roads closed to vehicles and even erased by the damage-plagued public land managers. Driving off the road or trail can be extremely hazardous out here in the west, where in some areas the landscape is littered with abandoned, open mine shafts. The BLM Needles, CA office has some excellent photos of nice 4x4 trucks pointing straight down into the ground in the middle of nowhere. On private land it's different...all that matters is that it's OK with the owner.
Second, the very first thing your truck should have is decent tires: Not passenger car P-rated tires(P-rated stands for 'Paper Thin'), but real truck tires: load range C(6-ply=), or better. Including the spare. If you are really far away from civilization, carry spare radiator hoses and belts(and water to refill the rad.), and the tools to change them.
Congrats...looks like a nice vehicle...does it have hand-crank windows? That'd be the ultimate rare 4R feature I'd want.
 
hey i have wheeled an 84 4runner an 87 pickup and a 95 4runner with v6 5speed and on the 95 beef that frame i did a hill clime that at the top had a sharp decline at an angle the thing has leaked around the windsheild. ever since so first i would beef the frame, by using skid plates and rock sliders then i would go with lockers. that is just my experience. one day i might tell my wife what really happened
 
First, read the FAQ. FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions. It is in one of the threads stuck at the top of this forum. Often called stickies. It will give you an idea of the many things that people do to their trucks. Also look for a few trip reports and see how people are using them.

As for mods, Lockers and gearing first. Those will do the most for performance off the bat. Lockers will allow better trail handling and get you through tougher situations. Gearing will better suit the drive train for the larger tires. A note, when you change gearing you must do it for both the front and rear differentials. As you consider them, also consider tire size, and lift. How large and how high? How large of tire will effect the gearing you want to use. When you have the differential apart for the locker, changing the gearing is not much extra work. If this truck is your daily driver I'd keep to smaller tires and less lift.

Next thing to go after is a roll cage and body armor. Roll cage first, then stuff like sliders, differential armor, skid plates, etc..
 
list of mods I would do, in order of importance in my book.

Bag of recovery straps and shackles, gloves, and other gear
Rock sliders
Rear bumper
Better tires
lower Tcase gearing
Rear aussie locker
Front bumper
Winch
Lift and bigger tires (maybe SAS at this point)

You can do a lot of stuff without a rear locker, the rear lockers just get you deeper into stuff you shouldn't get getting into early on....
 
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