jd20phill

iTrader: (7)

well guys, i figured out what to do. Im going to end up selling both the 4runner and supra and am going to use the money to buy a newer 4runner (perferably post 2000) to drive around for the next 4 years. Thanks for all the helpful insight and replies guys, be looking for me in the 96-2002 forums soon.

Brenjen

Dude,don't let all the nay sayers scare you. If you're somewhat mechanically inclined (ME is mechanical engineer...right?) you can do the ARB's yourself, others on here have. PORC has ARB lockers for $730 all models except one & it's $699 which I believe is the one you need in the rear of your truck, so $1429 for the lockers front & rear, a compressor is only a couple hundred or you could go with a co2 tank for around $100 shipped & a regulator for around $50 if you shop around....some on e-Bay right now brand new & other sites (regular store fronts) have the same stuff for only $20 - $30 more. The plumbing for the tank can be gotten all over the place & it's not that expensive, put in some manual toggle switches & it simplifies matters & is cheaper the lockers are the big ticket item. Buy some tires with good grip & some armor (sliders, bumpers & diff guards) & you'll still have plenty left over for the water pump & timing kit, it only cost me $250 or so to replace mine in my '95 about 10 months ago.

So if you shop around,know how to weld & twist the wrenches yourself you should be able to do front & rear ARB's,on board air,some armor,fix the water pump,put in a timing kit & get some decent tires for around $3.5K & that will buy plenty of fun.

If I can't purchase the rig I'm looking at, I'm probably going to have around $4K to do the same thing so I've been studying up on it in the past three days intensely. It sounds like the only difference between our rigs is mine doesn't need the water pump, timing kit or exhaust work done. You could also go cheaper & put just one ARB locker in & powertrax in the other dif & save about $450 there & still have good trail traction. Or just do lockrights front & rear, ditch the on board air & save a whole lot & be nearly as capable, from what I've heard their road manners aren't that bad & they are simple to install. So in that scenario you're only looking at $475 or so for the lockers & $540 or so for some decent tires & around $200 - $300 for the water pump & timing kit. I'm no pro but if you shop around & don't try to completely rebuild the rig you can have a good trail rig that's still streetable. Of course all those prices are based on memory,I have most of the sites saved if you're interested in some of the deals I've found.

Bogman

definitely get some rock sliders, ARB front bumper, and plenty of lights