Box Rocket - 2003 TRD Doublecab

There are quite a few up for sale in Colorado and that wouldn't be a bad road trip to pick up and drive back. Is there anything I need to look for that would tell me to definitely stay away?

I gathered the "limited" series came with front and rear lockers so I'm looking for that badging. I was considering selling the truck to fund this project and the mods but probably would wait until I got the Cruiser finished.

The mechanical I can handle or find a place to do it. The electrical is where I'm more hesitant due to it getting expensive with the troubleshooting. I guess I need to define my threshold.

Thanks for the input. Going to go search the interwebz to see what kind of deals abound.

 

Electrical issues are rare. Not even worth being concerned about. The "limited" badge isn't common but lockers can be found on lots of cruisers. Just look for the dial on the dash to the left of the steering wheel to see if its locker equipped. Lots of owners have no clue what lockers even are so just ask them if it has that switch (dial) and ask them to send you a photo to verify.

Ask if its ever had the HG replaced. If there are other leaks etc just use that to negotiate price. You'll want to be looking at '93-'97 cruisers only.

One note, if you find a great truck that doesn't have lockers don't let that be a deal breaker. It's better to have a truck in good condition with open diffs than a rough one with lockers. I wheeled my 80 with open diffs for 8 years and ran all the hard trails in Moab before I finally added a rear Aussie locker a few years ago. Even with just a rear locker they are pretty incredible.

 

Any reason not to throw the Lexus LX 450 in the mix? A little more expensive but seeing generally lower mileage. Guessing they are better maintained because of the clientele they were typically sold too.

 

Definitely look at the LX450. Contrary to what most think, the Lexus is often less expensive than the cruiser. No difference other than some interior trim stuff and a softer factory suspension but you'll ditch that anyway.

 

I love my LX450

Was a great choice of rig, while I kind of wish it wasn't all Brown inside hahahah

 

One thing to remember when buying the lx450. Not sure if this matters to you or not but I know insurance will be than the cruiser. My dad just bought a lx with the lockers not too long ago. I had one with the lockers as well. He had a cruiser before this without them before the hg blew on him. Excellent vehicles

 

So for anyone following this thread, I thought I'd share this. I'll be replacing my steering rack, inner and outer tie rods and a CV in the next week or so as soon as parts arrive. I know there are a lot of options for replacement steering racks. I got recommendations for the Rackdoctor ones, the RockAuto ones, the Autozone ones, and OEM reman'd ones from a variety of sources.

From my research I found that many of the reman'd racks were garbage as soon as they were installed. Seemed like a common issue to get a poorly rebuilt rack and have to use the warranty to have it replaced. I was hoping to avoid that hassle and in my search someone pointed me to Safari Limited in Grand Junction, CO. These guys have a pretty good reputation among the Land Cruiser crowd, but they offer a steering rack that is a new unit that is built from better quality materials with better seals and guides. I was able to track down a few people that were using the rack and they have a lot of miles on these rack with lots of wheeling and they're all holding up great and still tight. It sounded promising.


I will point out that the parts are made in China. This will scare some people off. The way I look at it, the reman'd racks may start out as OEM Toyota parts but the replacement parts used during the rebuild are likely Chinese too, so what was the big deal?


For comparison's sake the reman'd rack from Trail Gear has no core charge, just one price that includes shipping for ~$420. This is slightly more than some reman'd racks but still in the ballpark and about half the price of a new Toyota rack. The Trail Gear rack has a 1 year warranty.


The Safari Ltd rack is slightly more money than the TG one at $495 but has a 2 year warranty instead of 1 and with it being a NEW rack and the reported upgraded parts and materials used it seemed like it should be worth the extra cost given that the ones using it were all having good luck without the common issues of the reman'd racks. It also comes with new polyurethane bushings for the rack along with boots and inner tie rods like most aftermarket ones.


So I have one on order and it should be here within a week and I'll report back with photos etc.


I know the Autozone or Napa racks have a lifetime warranty but I'd rather not have to replace a rack every year even if it is free. We'll see how this one goes but I'm hopeful that its a solid part that is a different option for anyone looking for a steering rack.


http://safari-ltd.com/parts.html

 

Sweet, hopefully they work out good for you! I always think it's ridiculous whenever parts such as these have to be changed every year.

 

Adam.. Talking about cv's.. What is your opinion on cvj axles? I had my old oem ones sitting around so I got in contact with cvj and they are sending me some rebuilt oem ones with high flex or high angle cv boots. Just wondering if you heard of this company. Thanks

 

Adam,

So are you saying the All Pro bushings would fit into the OME leafs? I already have the AP shackles and bushings in my sagging AP leafs and want to get the OME leafs. Also, do you know what length your rear shocks are?

Thanks!

 

I've heard of them, but don't have any firsthand experience with their axles. IMO anything with a true high angle boot will be an improvement since it's typically the boot that fails first. Although you big boys that are running 35's need to look for strong CV joints as well.


I think the Lotus axles look great as far as strong axle upgrades with a high angle boot. Downside is the diff becomes the weak link, but don't drive like a tard and your diff should be fine.

I am using the OME bushings with the AP shackles. The shoulder on the OME bushing is slightly narrower than the AP ones so the top of the shackle pulls in just a little bit, but I've been running it this way for over 2 years now and the bushings etc still look fine. I thought it might chew through bushings faster but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

Thanks!

 

BTW.....CV change went smoothly last night with the exception of a broken handle on my prybar. Phase 1 of my front end refresh complete.

 

Holy crap, broken pry bar, mine came out with a pretty gentle pry :-/ though i did use a 31" bar... I'm pulling it again to replace the seal this weekend. I'm leaking.

Edit:

My truck also hasn't seen as hard of use or salt like yours...

 

Meh. it was just the handle the broke. The prybar itself was fine.

 

Ohhh I see. I used like a crowbar haha. Makes more sense now.

 

Added a "Table of Contents" to the first post with links to key parts of the build. That way if anyone has interest they can find it quicker rather than searching the entire thread.

 

I know most of you already know how to do this but here's some basic "how-to" stuff about replacing a CV along with some pics from last night's swap. Maybe it will help some newbie's or first-timers who haven't done this before.

Here's my bad CV boot. Inner boot torn completely at the clamp. This is actually one of the better places for a tear since a lot of the grease will stay in the boot for a while. I ran this torn boot for almost 2 years before it recently started making noise.


Tools Needed:
36mm Socket for the axle nut.
14mm socket for the lower ball joint bolts.
Needle nose pliers.
Pry bar.
Jack
lug wrench
Jack stand
Flathead screwdriver
Rubber Mallet
Loc-tite

Step 1: jack up the front of the truck and place a jackstand under the frame.


Step 2: Remove the Wheel


If your setup is like this, you'll need to also remove the Wheel Spacer so you can get to the dust cover. Also, it isn't always necessary but it's much easier to do the job if the skidplate is removed. I removed mine.

Step 3: once the wheel spacer was removed, I used a flathead screwdriver and mallet to pry the dust cover off the center of the hub.


You can see the cotter pin and the (green colored) retaining ring used to retain the cotter pin as well as keep the axle nut from turning.

Step 4: Use the needlenose pliers to remove the cotter pin and then remove the retaining ring. Use the 36mm socket to remove the axle nut that is behind the retaining ring.


Step 5: use the 14mm socket to remove the 4 bolts holding the hub to the lower ball joint. There are two bolts in front of the balljoint and two behind. Once the 4 bolts are removed the hub/spindle assembly can be swung aside toward the cab of the truck.


Step 6: use the pry bar against the lip of the CV where it meets the differential. With a bit of force the CV will pop free of the diff when the c-clip holding it in place pops free. Then the CV will slide out.


You'll lose some gear oil from the diff. I stuffed a rag into the diff opening to keep the gear oil from leaking out while I prepped the new CV.

At this point everything goes back together the way you took it apart. When inserting the new CV, take time to ensure the splines are aligned going into the diff and using the Rubber Mallet tap the outer end of the CV to seat the c-clip on the diff side of the CV into the diff.

Then just reverse the process for everything else to get it back together. I used loc-tite when re-installing the 4 lower ball joint bolts since ball joint failure is common if these bolts become loose.

Old CV vs New Autozone CV. It's not shown in this pic but I used an old desert race truck and wrapped the exposed axle shaft in electrical tape to keep it protected from debris and slow down rust.


that's it.

 

I got creative last cv axle swap and we used the strap from a small cargo strap and put loops in it so my hi lift could hook it, and between the face of the axle to the dif then the foot of the jack against the truck and jacked it up..worked out well and easy to do/use with out pry bars,I always feel like I'll screw up a seal or damage something when prying in there

 

Traction Mod