i figured i should do a thread like this, as i enjoy when other people make these kind of threads. i guess you can think of it as a mini-build up plus real testing
here is some before pictures. its a 1999 land cruiser, gray on gray, with rear and center lockers. got that brush gaurd for my birthday in september and i mounted the lights, which are hooked up to the foglights and come on with the same switch (hit up the FAQ for that). i mounted the CB in the center console which so far is great, but i screwed up soldering the connector on the wire so its not finished yet. does anyone know where to get the brush gaurd/bull bar CB radio mounts?
about 4 weeks ago i placed an order with Slee Offroad after doing countless amount of research on here (however it wasnt enough, as you'll see). i wanted 3" of lift in rear and 2.75" in front and wanted to run 315 tires. i read about many different set-ups and what people had and liked and made choices on that, and what the guys at Slee had to say. i was originally going to go with the 865 springs plus the spring packs, but they recommended i try the 860 springs, which i did (there was a thread about them that came up about a week before i made my order). and despite all the drama associated with them, i opted for the N74L rear shocks. i also grabbed the diff drop as well. i dont really have in progress pictures, as i did most of this by myself, or with my dad's help and didnt have time for picture taking, though everything was really straight forward and i studied the build-ups in the FAQ before attempting.
the tires i chose are the Toyo Open Country MTs in size 315/75R16. these tires have excellent road manners, quiet for a MT tire, and perform well offroad (though i lack experience in that department, but i had excellent traction in the dirt aswell as the thick louisiana mud, but that could be the all lockers). the only downside is they are very heavy and a big PITA to mount by yourself.
It was here that i ran into the first snag. too much researching made things blur together and i forgot some essential information. while the Toyos were 315s, with the side lugs they were 12.9" wide. i got the tires on and they hit the upper a-arm. damn. and i wsa trying to get the rig ready for a local land cruiser meet the next day. well it sat up on jackstands for a week and i ordered some wheel adapters. i ordered the 1" wheel adapters from the same place hoser did, www.motorsport-tech.com. quality and everything seemed good and i havnt had any problems with them yet. i ordered the low-profile lugs from them too.
here she sits after i got the wheels on. this was before i adjusted the suspension. i was so excited to drive it i forgot to take pictures of it after i adjusted them. this is basically the torsion bars almost fully maxed out. the tires practically lifted right when i jacked up the car. i had to jack it up all the way at the closest part of the frame, so i figure i have about 21" of ground clearance at the frame at full droop. the tires also stick out past the fenders maybe 1/2". and the only clearance issue i have found (besides the rear bumpstops which i talk about in the next post), is the weld seam in the rear of the front fenders. i trimmed back the plastic and took the sawzall to the seam. i think i may have to get that re-welded as it look like some of it may have started to split. note that the tires would barely hit that while driving on the road; if you run a tire this big it will hit that seam just by turned the wheel (though just barely, i had to drive about 150 miles like that before i had a chance to fix it)
New Parts ordered and Instaled:
1. OME Torsion Bars
2. OME N133 Front Shocks
3. OME N74L Rear Shocks
4. OME 860 Rear Springs
5. Slee Offroad Diff Drop
6. Motorsport Tech 1" wheel spacers
7. Toyo Open Country MTs 315/75R16
8. Spring retainers welded on
9. Raised the brake line mount on the axle
here is some before pictures. its a 1999 land cruiser, gray on gray, with rear and center lockers. got that brush gaurd for my birthday in september and i mounted the lights, which are hooked up to the foglights and come on with the same switch (hit up the FAQ for that). i mounted the CB in the center console which so far is great, but i screwed up soldering the connector on the wire so its not finished yet. does anyone know where to get the brush gaurd/bull bar CB radio mounts?
about 4 weeks ago i placed an order with Slee Offroad after doing countless amount of research on here (however it wasnt enough, as you'll see). i wanted 3" of lift in rear and 2.75" in front and wanted to run 315 tires. i read about many different set-ups and what people had and liked and made choices on that, and what the guys at Slee had to say. i was originally going to go with the 865 springs plus the spring packs, but they recommended i try the 860 springs, which i did (there was a thread about them that came up about a week before i made my order). and despite all the drama associated with them, i opted for the N74L rear shocks. i also grabbed the diff drop as well. i dont really have in progress pictures, as i did most of this by myself, or with my dad's help and didnt have time for picture taking, though everything was really straight forward and i studied the build-ups in the FAQ before attempting.
the tires i chose are the Toyo Open Country MTs in size 315/75R16. these tires have excellent road manners, quiet for a MT tire, and perform well offroad (though i lack experience in that department, but i had excellent traction in the dirt aswell as the thick louisiana mud, but that could be the all lockers). the only downside is they are very heavy and a big PITA to mount by yourself.
It was here that i ran into the first snag. too much researching made things blur together and i forgot some essential information. while the Toyos were 315s, with the side lugs they were 12.9" wide. i got the tires on and they hit the upper a-arm. damn. and i wsa trying to get the rig ready for a local land cruiser meet the next day. well it sat up on jackstands for a week and i ordered some wheel adapters. i ordered the 1" wheel adapters from the same place hoser did, www.motorsport-tech.com. quality and everything seemed good and i havnt had any problems with them yet. i ordered the low-profile lugs from them too.
here she sits after i got the wheels on. this was before i adjusted the suspension. i was so excited to drive it i forgot to take pictures of it after i adjusted them. this is basically the torsion bars almost fully maxed out. the tires practically lifted right when i jacked up the car. i had to jack it up all the way at the closest part of the frame, so i figure i have about 21" of ground clearance at the frame at full droop. the tires also stick out past the fenders maybe 1/2". and the only clearance issue i have found (besides the rear bumpstops which i talk about in the next post), is the weld seam in the rear of the front fenders. i trimmed back the plastic and took the sawzall to the seam. i think i may have to get that re-welded as it look like some of it may have started to split. note that the tires would barely hit that while driving on the road; if you run a tire this big it will hit that seam just by turned the wheel (though just barely, i had to drive about 150 miles like that before i had a chance to fix it)
New Parts ordered and Instaled:
1. OME Torsion Bars
2. OME N133 Front Shocks
3. OME N74L Rear Shocks
4. OME 860 Rear Springs
5. Slee Offroad Diff Drop
6. Motorsport Tech 1" wheel spacers
7. Toyo Open Country MTs 315/75R16
8. Spring retainers welded on
9. Raised the brake line mount on the axle
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