TW's active 4runner builders BS thread

That makes for some long days. Phoenix is an hour to pretty much any trail head. 2 hours to Flagstaff. 4 hours to Lake Powell/Utah Border. 9 hours to Moab.

2 years ago I drove Stony Pass, Cinnamon Pass, and Engineer Pass in Colorado, and drove home the same day

 

I mean I guess it isn't a bad thing either. Not like I mind camping haha. But the longer I wheel, the increase of breaking something haha.

 

its crazy everyone outside of CA thinks 2-3 hours one way is a LONG time. JFC people get outside

 

I mean, it is a long time when I've lived 20 minutes from open desert for the last 4.5 years. Most of our trails are 2-3 hours long. So 45 minutes to the trail head, 2 trails, head home, makes for a good day. 6 hours of driving for me to run like Miller Jeep Trail (which sucks) is not worth it at all haha.

 

I love being outside, in desert. Not sitting on a CA highway in my shitbox

 

oh i agree. if im going 2+ im staying the night somewhere on my travel because wheeling beats you up.

Thus my tent. Insert BS overland fuckery here.

 

I just don't like driving 2+ hours and wheeling because if I break something, I'm alot more fucked

 

agreed i have to remember that i have a long drive home on typically windy country roads.

 

I’m used to driving like 5+ hours and being nervous about breaking something so anything will be an improvement for me

 

"Hey bro, you want to flex up on that snow pile down there? You can park a lot closer that way." Challenge accepted, lots of looks from people as they walked by though...

 

New balls are nice and quiet again

 

So does this make sense... trying to justify spending...

My lower control arm bushings are shot. They’re OEM, have nearly 250k miles on them, and need replacing. If I replace just the bushings, I’d do OEM since the original ones lasted this long. But it’s $200ish and no guarantee I can get the old bushings out.

I’ve been looking at Solo Motorsport’s boxed, stock length LCAs for around $1200. This would solve my bushing problem and then some.

I’m not sure what type of wheeling I’ll get into in CA. I might want LT, might not, don’t know till I’m there. But I want a stronger LCA while figuring this out. I also want to focus on my rear suspension before doing the front. 4 link, coilovers, something that’s not going to be overnight.

Do you think buying Solo’s LCAs are worth it for my application? Or am I just as good buying new OEM bushings for my LCAs. I tend to drag them a lot too. I know I can get BAMF’s LCA skids but I’m just throwing more money at the problem instead of paying for a fix.

Thoughts?

 

I don't see any real benefit with solo's stock length LCA. Sure, the arm is stronger, and you get serviceable bushings, but you still have the same stock LBJ. If you took an impact that would bend a stock LCA, the 4 bolts on the LBJ would shear long before then haha.

I don't know what the stock bushings look like replacement wise, but the energy suspension install really wasn't all that bad.

But honestly, an entire Moog LCA is $86 on rockauto. I'd just get 2 new LCA's and decide if you want LT later down the line when you move.

 

This is solid info.


This quote in your post "but the energy suspension install really wasn't all that bad" gave me a chuckle. I guess we have different opinions of not bad. I have been thinking that when I do this current 4runner poly bushings I am just going to get new cam sleeves. They are just sitting in my Amazon cart.

 

I’m not too worried about having an impact that’ll bend it, but I do drag LCAs a lot and I’d feel better about dragging something that’s built up a little more.

I feel like a build LCA would give me the best mid travel set up I could have, with the option of a limit strap and hydro bump as well. Secondary shock tabs would be nice but it is stock width IFS and that really isn’t necessary. It’d keep me happier on stock width IFS for longer, while I figure out what I want to do with my front suspension since I’ll be wheeling all new shit.

Having the LBJ moved forward or anything to allow for better alignment would be nice but they didn’t incorporate any of that. Kind of sucks but it is what it is.

 

I plan on doing the desert just as much. I’ll be close enough to both and they’ll be new to me so I’ll be making plenty of trips to both. I’m more used to the more slow speed stuff anyways, LT concerns me because of the width in tight situations too.

 

Hppy New Years mofos #eastcoast #bitches

 

went super overlander and installed rock lights to use as camp lights when im all set up. MF's are bright.