Roxanne SAS and BS

Thanks for looking at my build! I bought Roxanne with 160,000 miles and BFG All Terrain TA KO 31's. I previously owned a 1999 Jetta 2.0 Wolfsburg Edition that was totaled. I bought Roxanne to get me through school, have my first truck, and something to wheel. I cruised craigslist for a couple days and picked her up a day or so later. So much has changed...

Obligatory stock flexing pic. 24 mpg on this trip


Currently solid axle swapped and sitting on 37" MTRs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gpDN4xXsFg&feature=youtu.be

• Solid Axle Swap with Trail Gear kit C, 3" Springs <-- to be swapped out for OME CS010R springs
• Rock Assault Axle, 30 spline chromoly axles and hub gears, Longfield birfields, HP front diff
• Chevy 63" Springs in the rear with some helper springs for height from my old leaf packs
• ARB Air Lockers Front and Rear
• Nitro 5.29's in both diffs
• 37x12.5 R17 Goodyear MTR with Kevlar
• ProComp Classic Rock Crawler Wheels, 17x9
• 9500lb XRC Comp Smittybilt winch with synthetic line
• Ruffstuff Chevy 63" Spring Swap kit
• Custom front bumper
• Custom rear bumper

Current To Do List

• Take out Chevy overload in rear leaf pack
• Clearance bedside by cutting out fender
• Front driveshaft work
• move the front axle forward by swapping leaf packs acks
• Clearance around front by tubbing (if still needed after swapping front leaf packs)

• Rear Bumpstops
• Install Ruffstuff trac-bar
• Install Blue Seas fuse block and 100A circuit breaker, then rewire a ton of stuff.
• reinforce front bumper to the frame

• front stinger?
• weld rear spring mounts to the axle to fix pinion angle (ruffstuff perches)
• driveline spacer or extend it once rotated rear axle (if needed)

Old Pictures

From the honeymoon




Drivetrain
Front ARB Airlocker 5/16
Nitro 5.29 Gears with solid pinion spacers 5/16
Rear ARB AirLocker 4/15
Rear Differential breather relocate 8/8/14
Aisin Manual Hubs
Manual J-shifter T Case - Replaced
Stock Manual Transmission W59
Stock clutch

Engine
2.7L 3RZ-FE Stock
Deck Plate Mod 8/20/14
AFE Pro Dry S or a generic fabric filter...

Interior
Removed all floor carpet-LOUD regret doing this honestly
Monstalinered floors
Weathertech floor liners up front

Exterior
Brute Force Fab Kick-out sliders
Snowrox Fab Bumper
Snowrox Fab Hi-Lift Mount

Lighting
Projectors
Other
Upgraded to AGM battery 3/10/15
XRC Comp 9,500 winch w/ 100' synthetic rope
ARB CKMA12 Compressor with Pump Up Kit
ASR Kinetic Recovery Rope
Snatch block
ARB tree saver
2" receiver/shackle
20' Hi-Tensile 3/8" Chain with Hi-Tensile hooks
Hi-Lift Jack
Air down tool from Currie Enterprises
Various recovery/emergency supplies

Old Setup, see above for current specs
Front
Sway bar removed 9/6/14
All Pro Uniball UCA's 3/11/15
Fox Coilovers 3/11/15
Eibach 650# Springs 3/11/15
Steering bushings replaced Summer '15
Nitro 4.56 Gears 4/15 (removed 4/16)

Rear
Modified OME 89-95 Pickup Springs 3/12/15 Modification here
OME Nitro Charger Shocks 3/12/15
3-degree axle shims due to driveshaft vibes
Carrier bearing dropped with 3 large washers each side.
Nitro 4.56 Gears 4/15 (removed 4/16)

 

List of some maintenance/mods

Replaced stock front struts/coils
Replaced driver side outer tie rod
Removed all plastic from front bumper
Blinker Relocate mod- kind of, one side doesn't work
Relocated rear differential breather to gas cap 8/8/14
Installed Trailer wiring with waterproof heatshrink and solder 8/8/14
Installed BA front tow hooks (since removed)
Deck Plate mod 8/20/14
Sway bar removed 9/6/14
AFE Pro Dry S installed 9/6/14
OEM Tow hook installed, shoutout to (Mike) @ffirg! (since removed)
6" Offroad lights (Bling Lights, 55W Halogen) (since removed)
Brute Force Fab sliders with kick-out rattle canned when rusty
Front braking system Oct. 2014 (since removed)
Rear pinion seal Oct. 2014
Passenger Outer Tie Rod Oct. 2014 (since removed)
Both CV Axles replaced, PM (since removed)
Upgraded/upsized wire to fuse block with soldered connections May 2015
Under radio switch plate http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...5089-6-switch-plate-under-radio-location.html
BPV relocate 5.5" 1/4" thick http://www.bayareametalfab.com/Standard-BPV-Bracket-35-14-plate_p_19.html
Plugs (Denso) and Wires August 2015
Distributor and Rotor November 2015
SAS!
Coolant Temp Sensor Feb 2017 (this and the next line solved a bunch of problems)
Cleaning of 3 AFR circuit sensor plugs that had corrosion.

First week, deep clean and carpet removal.




Went fishing/shooting/romping down on the Kenai Peninsula




Saw that I REALLY need new front shock bushings *Replaced!



Installed these, nothing amazing. Napa had them in stock...


And thinking about how to rejuvenate/replace these worn out guys...




Ripped off all the plastics of the bumper and did the blinker relocate mod but screwed up one side.
Relocated rear dif breather to gas cap 8/8/14
Installed Trailer wiring with waterproof heatshrink and solder! 8/8/14
Installed BA front tow hooks, see second pic below. 8/8/14

Took Roxanne wheeling! All went well.






Went wheeling again. Tried to flex, realized I could not flex with sway bar so I removed that ASAP.




Deck Plate mod 8/20/14
Power Puller, garage sale $5. (added to previous supplies)*since replaced with Hi-Lift

Helped a fellow TWer out (@Ghost.) and got some bedside decals out of it!



Sway bar removed 9/6/14 (and love it!) Thanks @akkyle!
AFE Pro Dry S installed 9/6/14
OEM Tow hook installed, shoutout to (Mike) ffirg!
The front braking system replaced Oct. 2014
Passenger Outer Tie Rod replaced Oct. 2014

 

Went wheeling for Labor Day and my Mom's late birthday present (took her shooting too!) :

A rocky part of Craigie Creek "Road"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_n_DMSAHKE&feature=youtu.be

And maybe this is why my skidplate is beat up

 

Reserved for more pics, but in the mean time..

Offroad lights coming... INSTALLED!
Rigid Industries Duallies coming...
Sliders coming...
Custom winch front bumper coming

 

Bolted up my driving/offroad lights (Bling lights 200-C), now just need to test them at night and review them!


And started my kinda snorkel project (Just going to extend this, not going to cab.)



Also, cleaned up some Brute Force Fab siders I bought from 423 Taco. Hopefully I can weld them on next Sat. at my University.

 

Yesterday I wired up the 6" Offroad lights, work good! I ran the wires right behind the AC Dryer/Reciever and thru the fender well area.
Maybe next week I can get the Dually's and sliders on! And LBJs...

 

Hey man, nice rig.
I had a 96' just like yours for years.
I noticed you were talking about which suspension setup to go with. I highly suggest OME. It's great. Increased weight capacity, stiffens up the right just a *titch* but offers GREAT off-roading capabilities.

Another thing you should look into, is finding a wreaked 97-04 Tacoma TRD rear end that has the E-Locker. easy enough swap, and having the locker where you live would be KILLER!

Anyways, good luck with your truck!
Feel free to send me a PM with any questions, as I've torn my old Taco apart a million times, modding the crap out of it. Plus, I sold it to my brother, so it's still in the family.

 

Thanks.
I like the OME for the front for sure, not sure yet about the rear end, probably sticking with one suspension for the whole truck would be best. Yeah I would LOVE to get my hands on a locker, e-locker, ARB, detroit, anything! Thanks for the advice!

EDIT these look good, then pair them with some longer shackles since mine are shot. Do these come with all new bushings?

 

They should, when I got the OME set(years ago), it had bushings for everything.
If OME gets a little pricey for you, I would look into a Bilstien 5100 kit. You can retain the stock front coils(to keep a semi-stock ride feel) but adjust your lift from 0" up to 2.5"
And then maybe even just find an add-a-leaf, new shackles and bushings.
That'd set you straight, and on a budget too!
All the shocks would be around $300, shackles, maybe $100, add a leafs maybe $100 or cheaper. If you haven't removed your front sway bar, look into removing that, if you're mostly off-roading.

Here are some complete budget kits:

Full OME lift:
https://bilsteinlifts.com/shop/95-04-toyota-tacoma/old-man-emu-ome-tacoma-lift-suspension/

Full Bilstien lift (I had this on my 2000 Tundra, GREAT off roading kit, although makes the regular road driving feel a little more like a *boat* compared to stock, still not that bad though.)
https://bilsteinlifts.com/shop/95-04-toyota-tacoma/ultimate-toyota-tacoma-lift-with-bilstein-shocks/

Another Bilstien kit:
https://bilsteinlifts.com/shop/95-0...table-lift-kit-with-5100-shocks-95-04-tacoma/

Anything over 1 1/2 inches, make sure you drop your from diff:
http://www.daystarsuspensionparts.c...mxQiNyK3zv1uiO_J-hYAavaVCeSxU_TRKnxoCGnXw_wcB

 

Thanks for all the links!
Here is what I am thinking for the front: OME Nitrochargers with 882 coils (Winch will be mounted by then with custom steel bumper) 882 should be the longer spring with the medium duty spring rate, I do not want a super harsh ride like I hear the 883s are more prone to give. Also, since it is a longer coil, it should flex more. At least that makes sense to me. Then I can hopefully sell my stock Napa strut assembly I got for a few bucks. Any ideas what 881 vs 882 does for lift heights? 4 cyl ext. cab with winch + bumper I don't want to be blowing CVs all the time, so not feeling anything over 3 inches.

For the rear I need new leaf packs. My stock leaves are too far gone to "just" be fixed by an AAL or a dreaded block. My rear shocks are not stock, but are obviously shot too. So, I know I will need new leaf packs, shocks, and I would like to replace my shackles too.

This kit seems pretty close to what I am thinking about. With a front diff. drop!

Ultimate Heavy Kit (Includes EVERYTHING) Part# OMETCUHV - $1235
(Retail Price - $1457)
Includes:
1 - OME 2881* Front Coil Springs (Pair)
2 - 90004 Front Nitrocharger Sport Shock Absorbers
2 - OME Dakar CS 046R A/B Rear Leaf Springs
2 - 60062 Rear Nitrocharger Sport Shock Absorbers
2 - SB88 Poly Spring Bushing Kits
1 - OMEGS12 Greasable Rear Shackle Kit
2 - OME95PF5 Front Trim Spacer 5mm
4 - OME U-bolts
1 - FK21 Exhaust Bracket Kit

http://cruiseroutfitters.com/sus_Tacoma.html

 

I had the 882's (medium lift/medium duty) and it net me about 1.75" of lift up front, which was perfect. Although, my truck was a V6, so it was a little heavier up front than your truck, so you may net a little closer to 2", but my guess would be 1.8-1.9" of lift. I would think 881's will get you about 1"-1.25". 882's are the way to go, unless you're mounting a SUPER heavy front bumper. Just make sure you drop the front diff, because you'l still blow out CV's with 1.5" of lift.

Now, as far as flex, you're still going to be limited to your stock control arms, and ball joints.. but it will flex more than stock, that's for sure.

On the note of ball joints, I would just presentably replace them. 1st gen Tacomas, after about 100K miles, the ball joints start to weakin heavily. Which could lead to them just popping out of the socket. Easy fix, just make sure you get it aligned afterwards. I'd probably do it at the same time as the rest of the suspension is being done, that way it'll save you the cost of only getting it aligned once.

That kit you've got listed is a nice one! That's a decent price, too.
You have air-tools available?

 

Yeah, diff drop would be done at the same time. I have the OEM LBJs in my room, ready to go on. Shouldn't need an alignment for those though. UBJs are on hold at my dealer, I need to get my LBJs on first!

somewhere around 2" lift would be alright for the front after the winch is on. Sounds like it would if that is what you got with the v6 w/o winch

I have a Snap-On air impact gun that helps a lot. It has seen better days though haha.

 

Hey just a bit of advice when I did my LBJ it threw out my alignment I had just done a month before I don't know if its because I hit the tie rods or my original LBJ were shot just something to keep an eye on.

The replacement LBJ were OEM btw

 

Interesting... Thanks for the heads up.

 

Front bumper ideas?

Not sure about the corner measurements, those were guesses.

 

I like it. Gives some protection, but still "minimalist" looking.

 

Thanks! Yeah, it needs a lot of adjustment before it is ready for fabrication... Just threw down some ideas. I want to keep it minimalist to keep approach angles up and weight down while having the winch.

 

Yesterday I threw a bolt on the exhaust manifold where one was missing. Quieter now, probably still have an exhaust leak somewhere, but not as bad now.

Pics from the other day.
Cleaned up the sliders


And did some frame prep work.


Poser shot


Scenery shot



Aftermath of mud

 

Got one side of the sliders welded on but I dont like the kickup, so those will be cut off soon enough. Then I need to paint them and do my ball joints this weekend.

And I bought some coilovers for the front. Was planning on waiting but something presented itself!

 

ROXANNE

YOU DONT HAVE TO WEAR THAT DRESS TONIGHT


ROXANNE