95 SR5

Hey everyone,
New guy here from Laramie, Wyoming. I’m a medically retired Soldier and own a small gunsmithing shop here in town. Picked up a '95 4Runner SR5 3.0 V6 4WD with just over 200k on it as a project, and it’s been a ride.

When I got it, the head gasket was blown, rear suspension had sagged over 3 inches, front was about an inch low, and the steering had about 30 degrees of dead play to either side. Ran like trash too. I fixed the head gasket, replaced the entire fuel system, and ditched the “hot air intake” a kid had thrown on it (no shield, just a cone filter baking in engine bay heat). Found a stock air intake on eBay and put that in along with new cap, rotor, plugs, wires, water pump, steering pump, and alternator.

That was almost a year ago. This past weekend I replaced the entire brake system (kept the front rotors—they were somehow in shockingly good shape), overhauled the steering, replaced the ball joints, new CV Aaxles, and installed an ARB OME 2” lift—coils, torsion bars, and shocks. Wrapped it up with a set of wheels and tires from a 2005 Tacoma.

Next up: lockers, a winch bumper, rear bumper with swing-out tire carrier, rock sliders, more skid plates, and preserving the body the best I can—it does have some rust, but nothing I cannot handle. For being 30 years old, only two things do not work: the A/C and one door lock motor. Including purchase, I’m still in it for under $7,000.

My last Toyota was an 06 Tundra I put an Icon Stage 5 suspension on, 4.88 gears, lockers, 37s, rock sliders, and much much more...

*If an admin sees this, my year of birth is wrong for some reason. Its 1985 not 1998*

 

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

Thanks! I actually moved to Wyoming from Wisconsin. I used to live in Hartford, my family is all from the area around Milwaukee.
Go Packers... and F*** the Bears!

 

Wow, your really gettin after it! Welcome to the forum and Thank You for your service!

 

Welcome

 

Welcome from SoCal

 

You likely know this already, but swapping in a non-A.D.D. front axle tube and shaft helps with reliability when swapping in a front locker. I have one sitting on the garage shelf (since I can't remember when) and a Truetrac that's waiting to go in my old '94 when I get around to it.

 

Welcome

 

Welcome from Arizona!

 

There is a good chance I will just do an Eaton in the rear, and leave the front alone until I do a SFA swap.
I have a front and rear locker in my Power Wagon, and I have used the front locker all of 10 times since 2016... but even then, it's an 8000lb truck with 60% of the weight on the front axle, so there will be times a front locker is needed. For this thing at 3800lbs, with with a weight distribution favoring the rear... a front locker is probably not a pressing need until it's a dedicated trail rig.