Thoughts on what to upgrade first?

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LandCruiczar

LandCruiczar

Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Threads
5
Messages
19
Location
Texas
Howdy!
Relatively new to the LC community. Got my UZJ100 around a year and a half ago at 188k. It's now at 201k. Here's a small breakdown of what I've done since. Don't get excited, it's all maintenance, no upgrades:

odometerjob, parts, fluids, etc.
188.1CV & Tierod (L), rear axel seal (inner)
192.0Hood struts
192.0Power steering fluid flush
193.0Oil change
195.0CV (R)
195.5Coil pack replacement (single)
198.0Tierod (R)
200.2Windsheild wipers and fluid
200.4Tires (Geolandar AT's, 5)
200.5Tierod (R)
200.6Alignment
201.7Oil change (8848.5) +filter


The first two things I've been thinking about are a grill guard and an exhaust upgrade. I'm hoping that the first will give some help in the case of an accident and that the second will help take stress off the engine and maybe better the fuel economy. But I'm not sure how much of that is wishful thinking versus how much either will actually help. So any info would be helpful.

Otherwise, I'd love to learn about anything that'd help the truck last longer.


Thanks!

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I did exhaust by force not by desire(rusted). Wish I had factory back...I liked quiet. I think it just all depends on what you want to do with it and/or what you want it to look like
 
  1. Remove runnings boards
  2. 285/75/16 AT or MT’s
  3. Wheel it as much as you can before deciding lift/sliders/bumpers/rack/lights
Oh and skip the brush guard...it’s just going to crumple in an accident and damage your car more than if you didn’t have it. Save the money towards lift springs/shocks or sliders instead.
 
Pucker5 said:
I did exhaust by force not by desire(rusted). Wish I had factory back...I liked quiet. I think it just all depends on what you want to do with it and/or what you want it to look like
Click to expand...

Good thought. I wasn't really considering sound, so that is something to think about. Did you notice any performance/mpg benefits? (and how much of an upgrade did you do?)


wvrx said:
  1. Remove runnings boards
  2. 285/75/16 AT or MT’s
  3. Wheel it as much as you can before deciding lift/sliders/bumpers/rack/lights
Oh and skip the brush guard...it’s just going to crumple in an accident and damage your car more than if you didn’t have it. Save the money towards lift springs/shocks or sliders instead.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been thinking about the running boards, but the GF has grown accustomed, so I thought I might wait till I get sliders. It hasn't been a big deal since my CV and tie-rod issues have kept me off the trails so far anyway.

Just got the Geo AT's a month or so ago (and they're stock size at 275/70/r16), so it will be a little bit before I get another set.

It's also my daily driver, so I'm a little hesitant on the lifts because I do like how good it is on the road. I think you're probably right: I need to get on the trail more before deciding that.

So I had no idea that the guard could be bad. Does a metal bumper replacement do better?
 
As previously stated, a brush guard isn't going to help much at all in the event of a crash and I'd be skeptical of any gains in efficiency because of an exhaust upgrade. There really isn't anything you can do to make a LC more efficient, but there's plenty you can do to make the mileage drop (i.e., armor, tires, etc.)

From the looks of it, you've got a pretty clean, stock 100 series which is kind of a rarity on this forum. Keep it as is and stay on the maintenance as you're doing. One thing you don't show in your list is when the timing belt was last done - maybe see when that was last done / when it's due and plan for that repair. Also, if you haven't done your heater Ts, that's a pretty easy job to knock out.
 
Start with quality AT tires if you intend to overland. NOTHING will make more of a difference than this. Do NOT do a "brush guard" for protection. It won't do that at all. A bullbar CAN protect the front. But, you'll lose fuel economy quick with that (mileage ain't great in these rigs anyway). Exhaust would be the last thing I'd do. It won't add any horsepower (super minimal at best) and fuel economy won't improve. As for the running boards, delete them for clearance is an option. But, if like me, you have a significant other that is vertically challenged, be prepared for some arguments. I'd get step sliders as a compromise. Benefit is that they will protect your rocker panels while maintaining a step for shorter persons.

In the end, AT tires are the real difference maker...along with quality maintenance. Get good tires and wheel the rig until you figure out what you actually need.
 
Do your heater tees. They fail often and can kill a motor if they do. They should be on a timing-belt-like service schedule, but they aren't mentioned anywhere in Toyota's docs. Those heater tees are probably the single biggest design flaw in the 100 series.

Grill Guard: AKA "Damage Multiplier". Don't get one. They're good only for moving brush aside. In an accident they crumple immediately and generally take a few extra body panels with it. An "armor" bumper is exactly as protective as it sounds. They are thick steel (most of them, anyway) and they will protect the vehicle in a crash. They're commonly used in Australia to ensure a kangaroo doesn't kill a motor and leave someone stranded in the outback where the occupants of the car might actually die if they can't get mobile again. If safety or accident protection is your concern, go with a real armor bumper.

Lift: I really enjoyed my 100 with no lift for years. Just get 33" tires (285/75/16 is the common choice). No lift required for 33s and you'll get a more aggressive look with some added off-road ability. Highway driving will be mostly unaffected, but the larger tires might be noticeably "heavier".

Exhaust: There have been some good gains dyno'd be Robred and others going with the Doug Thorley headers and catback. It'll be louder and you'll gain a little power, but nothing crazy. MPG would probably be affected a very small amount.

Good luck!

Oh, and check out the YotaMD keys. I hear those are pretty cool... ;)
 
Get sliders, and if she doesn’t like em get a new gf. Jk.
 
LandCruiczar said:
The first two things I've been thinking about are a grill guard and an exhaust upgrade. I'm hoping that the first will give some help in the case of an accident and that the second will help take stress off the engine and maybe better the fuel economy.
Click to expand...
Neither of those will do what you're hoping. Get all maintenance up to date and drive it a bit.
 
First thing I did when I got my LC was make sure the engine and everything was happy. New fluids, TB, WP, heater-Ts, etc.

I then proceeded to take her out to the trails to understand what she is and isn't capable of in stock form. After hitting my running boards a few times, I decided to get new tires and sliders first.

I also bought a Dissent front bumper, winch and Ironman 4x4 kit at the same time but the tires and sliders were the most important :P
 
You’ve done the right thing so far in bring it up in maintenance. As others have said, HEATER TEES -they’re the Achilles heel of the truck. Then timing belt.

IMHO, the first bit of armor to get is not bumpers. It’s sliders. You get get the step version that will work for your GF. Wait on bumpers until you know what kind off roading you’ll do.

I see you’ve already got newer tires in stock size. As said above, bigger tires will be the best bang for the buck for on and off road improvement. You aren’t necessarily locked into keeping them. You can get some 33” tires on the truck and sell your stock size if they’re still pretty new. You will be glad you did if you go off road.
 
First, thanks for the responses, this is all very helpful.

Sounds like neither of the things I was thinking about will do what I want, and that’s definitely good to know. My highest priority is making the truck last, but it sounds like that’s basically going to be more about good maintenance than about adding/changing anything. (As for mpg, I know it’s going to go down as I add weight, so I was just trying to curb that. At the end of the day though, I’m not driving the truck for its mileage.)

That said, sounds like I need to do my heater-t’s and timing belt. I’ve held off on the first cus I’m doing an anti-freeze flush at the same time, and I wanted to make sure the pink stuff I got will actually be OK. (I’ve seen some stuff online, here probably, that makes me worried, but everything in my manual and on the bottle says it’s OK: it’s made with ethylene glycol for aluminum radiators, which mine is...)

After I get that sorted, I’ll hit the trails, and probably end up swapping out the running boards for sliders. At that point I’ll be able to really test if the current AT’s at that size are doing the trick.
 
Exhaust probably won't do anything but make it louder. Headers however would probably help give you some power. Another easy and cheap mod is 12-hole fuel injectors, can be had new for about $300 or used for less than half that. Next I'd check all your spark plugs are tight and not backed out at all.
 
1. Heater Ts (it is shocking when you see how dependent this 6,000 lb truck is on these 2 oz pieces of deteriorating plastic.)
2. Upgrade to the newer and stronger ignition / key post (the thing just snaps one day, with no warning - not very cool an upgrade, but it is important to keep running.)
3. Sliders. (I am running standard sized KO2 tires, and have managed ok) Both are useful: higher tires are useful in giving you another inch to avoid things between your wheels, the sliders give your body protection from the rocks you just put your tires on.
4. Buy more gas - turns out these trucks burn a lot of gas. Who saw that coming!
 
Bigger Tires also increase offroad and on road comfort - more rubber to soak up the bumps.

I have done ALOT of trails in my 100 with 285s and OME coils in the rear - my old stock springs were extremely saggy.
 
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