Outer Limits 4x4 Board

g'day all

as u probably noticed my name sugests i have a mk patrol well i do but i have plans to make that into a hunting rig.
i'm now looking at getting a lux and wanted to know ur thoughts of what one would be best i have a budget of $8000 so don't want anything to new but i want to be able to carry at least 4 passengers so a duel cab or something simmilar is what i'm after but i also want to be able to turn it into a very capible off roader now what sort of lux would i be best getting in terms of flex power and reliablity

any info or ideas would be much appreciated .

cheers mike

c'mon guys can anyone give me any advice on the duel cabs looks like there's a few that can flex it up what sort of suspension setup would be best to get it flexing

so you want a dual cab, which is a hilux, which is good offroad, for 8k or under.

you have pretty much answered your own questions. in your budget you can get an 89-96 model dual cab hilux.

its a) your only option - unless you want to go much older
b) solid axle so it can be modded easily
c) well thats pretty much all folks.

read the hilux bible, it will go through your basic mods and a whole bunch of good reading, its at the top of the toyota page.

Research what all the different mods are, depends what your after...

There will be 2.4 diesel, 2.4TD, 2.8D, 2.8TD (after market setups), you prob wont get the 6cyl petrol for this price but you can get the smaller 4cyl petrols for this price....

Depends on what you want to drive petrol or diesel....

IMOP look for around a 1992-1994 with a 2.8D N/A or turbo, generally if it has the turbo they will be asking more, i would reckon buy a N/A one that way you will prob get one with a lift/ snorkel, bull bar etc..... look around alot and don't be in a rush and you will get a bargain, P.S. then buy a toyota surf 2.4TD turbo kit off a wrecked one (will pay about $500 for the kit) and there you have it......

IMOP these motors need the turbo and there is alot of infor on the lux's and how to do things, so happy looking.

P.S. Dont buy one with ifs you will later regret it if you want to do anything a bit harder. So leaf front and rear, and one that already has a suspension kit.

Brad

cheers guys

i'm goin to lok at a duel cab on monday can anyone give me a few things to check that may be or are likely to be stuffed , worn etc etc .

cheers mike

mk swb learner wrote:cheers guys

i'm goin to lok at a duel cab on monday can anyone give me a few things to check that may be or are likely to be stuffed , worn etc etc .

cheers mike

Play in the steering.

do a search there is lots of info.

basic run down.

rust - check everywhere but main areas i see are floors, top of windscreen doors fire walls.
chassis - check for cracks particularly around the steering box its on the RHS at the front. also check this for leaks.
play in the steering box
play in steering in general - expect a bit but not 6 inches of steering wheel turn etc.
leaking hubs - this will be your inner axle seals dirty job but not too bad.
if its a 2 piece tail shaft check the center bearing (half way along see hoe much you can move it up and down)
diffs for leaks at the pinion.
ummm
vibrations when backing off at higher speeds can also indicate unis and center bearing on your tail shaft.
check all your bushes etc around suspension for cracks and wear.
take it for a good long drive and make sure it doesnt get hot.
find some grass/ or dirt (not bitchumen) put in 4wd and turn some circles listen for clicking which will mean new cvs.

thats all i can think of right now.

good luck

cheers mate thats exactley what i was after didn't think of checking the 4wd cheers mike

check the wheels for bearing play, grab them at the top and give them a push/ pull, then at 3'oclock and 9'oclock and wiggle them and see how much play is in them chech front and rear.....

I there is a bit of play be weary of it as the rear is fairly simple but the front may need a complete rebuild..... (easy to do but is good to knock $500 of it- cost little to fix if you do it)

Open up the bonnet, look inside the inner guards (behind the air box and fuse box) and see if the guards are cracked, this is a common problem especially on the battery side... Won't hurt any thing if they are but will eventually need welding... mine is cracked both sides...

check where the torque rod mounts on the diff and chassy on the front, these welds often crack especially if it is used off road properly, they need rewelding properly otherwise will keep cracking.

check for any leaks around bell housing or on the gearbox....

Check for leaking injector pump

check air intake hose for cracks

With the steering get someone on the out side and some one in the cab, wiggle the steering wheel slowly left and right, look at the drag link and j arm (pieces that go from steering box to steering arms) look at where they are joined and look for the play there, play is common in the ball joints either side of the drag link.... check this the same way on the tierod ends on the steering arm also.

look at the front and rear springs and see if they look curved or are shaped like a W, the springs may need to be changed.

thats all i can think for now... hope it helps..
The beauty is lux parts are cheap and there is shitloads of info on how to fix them so if there is a problem it is prob a way of saving a bit of money, and fix it yourself.... most things are in the haines or gregories manual will tell you step by step...

Hope this helps Brad

cheers brad more good points i have myself a check list so i won't miss anything also brad ur lux has a nice amount of flex in what suspension setup do u have?

cheers mike

mine was leafs front and rear, i done a conversion on it and changed to a toyota surf coil rear end...

The front is a superior engineering 4" EFS/ Rancho kit.... i had this kit on front and rear and it rode alot better and flexed awsome in the front and average in the rear....

Depends on what you are after but the trail gear kits (www.locktup4x4.com) have some of the best flex for a leaf sprung car ive seen from a kit.... for the price...

If you have a $8000 budget i'd look for one with lift, snorkel, bull bar, possibly a winch... you may even find one with lockers if you get a older one... but will be harder for the price....

Keep in mind for you to start installing different 4x4 parts/ accessories it starts adding up and ends up a never ending money pit unless you limit yourself.... i cant

Brad

brad 93hilux wrote: Keep in mind for you to start installing different 4x4 parts/ accessories it starts adding up and ends up a never ending money pit unless you limit yourself.... i cant

Brad

so true but there does need to be something fun to spend moeny on or you just work to live.

but yes - your mod plans will stretch past the forseeable future and the the bills will add up.

My lux went in for a blue slip when i first got it and they wanted about 1200 worth of repairs.

with the help of outers and some messy times in my back yard and it was all fixed for about $200.

they are simple to work on, seals etc are cheap the bigger items can be more expensive to buy, but if you bide your time you can save big time, and the parts are so cheap compared to cruisers etc.

lol yer i dnt mind spending money on somthing i get fun out of haha anyway i've had a good run luck come my way since last nite just sp happenes my mate is selling his duel lux and a work mate is selling his to my mate want's 7000 his is a 88 model with 33 muddies and 7 months rego and thats about it my workmate wants 6500 his has new 31 a/t with 12 months rego and a warn 9000 winch and it's a 97 model with solid front axle both have very minimal rust which is good.

so i'm kinda leaning towards my workmates atm wat do u guys think

cheers mike

no comparison between the 2 cars with 9 years difference in age!

go the 97 model. the 88 model is expensive!

yer thats what i was thinking also the 97 has 140000 as well as bullbar rearbar driving lights and the 88 has 328000 so yer can't wait to get it now allready got plans for it i'll have about 2000 to spend on it so am thinking of lifting it a few inches have been looking at a few kits that are in the price range just dnt know what one to get can anyone who's had experience with brand name lift kits give me any idea on how they preform looking at toughdog ironman efs

cheers mike

mk swb learner wrote:yer thats what i was thinking also the 97 has 140000 as well as bullbar rearbar driving lights and the 88 has 328000 so yer can't wait to get it now allready got plans for it i'll have about 2000 to spend on it so am thinking of lifting it a few inches have been looking at a few kits that are in the price range just dnt know what one to get can anyone who's had experience with brand name lift kits give me any idea on how they preform looking at toughdog ironman efs

cheers mike

no contest dude do not buy the 88 model. the 97 model sounds amazing!

I wouldnt rush into spending the 2k personally, i would drive it for a while first, then slowly mod it as you get to know the car and what you want out of it.

Buit each to their own.

yeah by no means am i 100% on getting the lift just wanted to know if anyone knew if efs was a good brand because i dare say i will need a lift because where i mainly go has alot of big steps and and ruts my mate in his d22 navara had a 3 inch lift and still was scraping but yer i will defo take it for a wheel b4 i got spending the money.

has anyone used efs on their duel cab b4?
cheers mike

thehanko wrote:

mk swb learner wrote:yer thats what i was thinking also the 97 has 140000 as well as bullbar rearbar driving lights and the 88 has 328000 so yer can't wait to get it now allready got plans for it i'll have about 2000 to spend on it so am thinking of lifting it a few inches have been looking at a few kits that are in the price range just dnt know what one to get can anyone who's had experience with brand name lift kits give me any idea on how they preform looking at toughdog ironman efs

cheers mike

no contest dude do not buy the 88 model. the 97 model sounds amazing!

I wouldnt rush into spending the 2k personally, i would drive it for a while first, then slowly mod it as you get to know the car and what you want out of it.

Buit each to their own.

X2 spot on....
Good luck

mk swb learner wrote:yeah by no means am i 100% on getting the lift just wanted to know if anyone knew if efs was a good brand because i dare say i will need a lift because where i mainly go has alot of big steps and and ruts my mate in his d22 navara had a 3 inch lift and still was scraping but yer i will defo take it for a wheel b4 i got spending the money.

has anyone used efs on their duel cab b4?
cheers mike

Yeh i bought a kit from superion engineering which was a EFS front and rear kit and i got it with rancho's instead of the efs shocks (heaps better shocks) think i paid $2400 for the complete kit 4" lift and i have had the front in for 3.5years and rear in for 1.5 years....

I definately reccommend the kit but there is others out there and i have only used this one.... Springs are still good after alot of hard abuse....

http://www.superiorengineering.com.au/p ... cts_id=214

These are a couple of pics my truck but don't take much notice of the rear as it is the coils..... The front flex is how the kit was from day one...







These are the pics 6months after i put the efs kit on, this is leaf spring front and rear flex (this was full flex rear and about 3/4 flex on the front)

brad 93hilux wrote:

mk swb learner wrote:yeah by no means am i 100% on getting the lift just wanted to know if anyone knew if efs was a good brand because i dare say i will need a lift because where i mainly go has alot of big steps and and ruts my mate in his d22 navara had a 3 inch lift and still was scraping but yer i will defo take it for a wheel b4 i got spending the money.

has anyone used efs on their duel cab b4?
cheers mike

Yeh i bought a kit from superion engineering which was a EFS front and rear kit and i got it with rancho's instead of the efs shocks (heaps better shocks) think i paid $2400 for the complete kit 4" lift and i have had the front in for 3.5years and rear in for 1.5 years....

I definately reccommend the kit but there is others out there and i have only used this one.... Springs are still good after alot of hard abuse....

http://www.superiorengineering.com.au/p ... cts_id=214

These are a couple of pics my truck but don't take much notice of the rear as it is the coils..... The front flex is how the kit was from day one...







These are the pics 6months after i put the efs kit on, this is leaf spring front and rear flex (this was full flex rear and about 3/4 flex on the front)

dude you need to put a warning in your post before posting sexy photos like that, now im gonna have to go have some quiet time.

nice!

lol .... lol funny man....

There are alot better trucks on here that i look at the same way...

but thanks

damnn the front end on that thing is flexing of it tit's lol
Thanks for putting up pics as well as info mate if i need a lift i'll be goin the same kit just save up for a week to add on the extra to 2000 then i'll be set also are those 33's or 35's on ya lux.

cheers mike

33's...

Superior engineering are great to deal with, i had a couple of problems with breaking their stuff and they sent me out brand new parts at no cost, no questions asked... they were then improved upon....

but all the 4x4 mod places ive delt with have been awsome...

Drive it for a bit and see what you think look at some trucks with the differnt setups and see how they go and then make a decision on how big and what you want to do... best not to rush into things as this stuff add up after a while especially if you put the wrong stuff on and have to change it later.

Thats what 4x4 clubs are great for.

Brad

yer true i've learnt not to rush into things after my patrol spent a bittoo much moding it now it won't pass rego lol but yer my mate has ome is his lux and hates it i've been with him on a few trips and it's as rough as guts off road but my uncle has ome in his patrol and it's excellent but it's coil's so think i will stay away from ome ( not putting it down just going off experience) but yer when i get it i'm gunna see how it goes up at sugarloaf and a few other local tracks b4 i do anything to it.

just wanna say thanks to everyone thats has responded and helped me out didn't expect so much info it's been a great help cheers.

cheers mike