Making a list of parts, suggestions?

So I'm making a list of parts to acquire over time for my upcoming 3rd gen overland build. Just wanted to see what kind of things you guys would suggest I look at.

Already planning on sliders, arb bumpers, a roof rack, new u-joints. But I'm not sure what suspension setup I want to try to go for. And then I'm curious about lower ball joints, control/trailing arms. What goodies do you guys recommend? Are there better aftermarket parts for the arms and joints?

 

The real question is what are you building it for? Overlanding is pretty vague. To some overlanding is decking out your 4runner with every since piece of aftermarket items under the sun. To others, is equipping your 4runner with what you need to live out of.

Mike

 

Ah I got you. Well, basically she is going to be our road trip and trail rig. Some day we want to take her through the huge public parks and camp in her. But for now I am just getting her ready to go off-road. Looking at suspension stuff right now, shocks, coils, control arms, and then eventually skids and sliders.

Other than fun stuff, I also want to know if there are any items I should replace or upgrade, like... Joints or bushings?

 

I'd replaced your upper ball joints, lower ball joints (OEM ONLY), inner tie rods, and outer tie rods. I'm a big fan of OEM parts when it comes to what I just mentioned. They tend to last quite a bit longer than Moog, and the other crap. If you've going to lift it you'll want to replace your CV boots on the front while you're installing the lift. If not, you'll be doing it shortly after the lift when the rip open.

You can upgrade your front upper control arms if you want, but that isn't needed. SPC makes good non-uniball uppers, and that's what I would recommend. I don't see the point in swapping out any of your rear control arms unless you have bad bushings or something like that. You might want to consider upgrading your sway bar links to longer one to accommodate your lift (contact me if you need these).

Mike

 

Lower ball joints done! And don't worry I always use OEM, especially since they are made in Japan or the USA. Are the upper ball joints swapable or do I need to change the whole arms like the 2nd gen taco's?

CV boots, got it. Is there anyway to check the CV joints to ensure they are fine while I am doing this? Can I grease them?

I also have to replace the street ng rack, is there an oem kit that comes we the the tie rods as well?

 

Just buy new upper ball joints. You can use a pickle fork to separate the upper control arm from the ball joint. Then press out the upper ball joint from the spindle, which can be a pain, but pretty straight forward.

You can but GOOD boots from ORS, and grease packs too. Clean the joints, and apply the new gease before rebooting them. A lot of people use A1 for steering racks now since Safari went out of business, and none of them come with tie rods either.

Mike

 

If you're interested in SPC upper control arms, feel free to shoot me a PM. Happy to do deals for forum members.
https://www.srqfabrications.com/product/96-02-4runner96-04-tacoma-spc-upper-control-arms

 

Ordered the oem ball joints!

Hey man your site has some awesome stuff on it, I bookmarked it for later. I appreciate the offer but I am partial to JBL UCA's since I've had such great success with them on my taco.
I am eyeing your stainless steel skid plate.... man that looks good.