Newbie, long intro, and a few ARB/Leer questions

I figure that since I've been here almost two years, it's about time for an introduction.

My name is Shaun, and I'm a long-time Subaru enthusiast and technician, getting my feet wet in the Tacoma world. I'm from PA, about twenty minutes from Rausch Creek, and will be inheriting a 1998 Toyota Tacoma at the end of this month, with 300,000 on the clock. This is an SR5 model with the V6/5spd/4x4 combo.

I've been eying up this truck for almost 15 years, when it took a Nissan Hardbody's place in my parent's driveway. I was actually subscribed to Peterson's 4 Wheel & Off Road since 1998 in anticipation of one day receiving the truck, but that eventually ended when I picked up the Subaru. The mileage on the truck might scare some, but it's been 300,000 highway miles, well maintained, and never broke down.

This has been a good truck, and I'm only planning a few minor, well-thought-out modifications. I'm looking for an ARB front bumper for dodging deer, as well as it's retro styling. I'm also in the market for a Leer cap as I just got a second golden lab, and they need some space on our frequent road trips. Add front window tint, a stereo, and Hella Supertones, and I'll be calling it quits. I don't want to do anything that will affect the reliability of the truck. Besides, my '95 Impreza is the money pit.

Here's a crappy picture of the truck. Photography is a hobby of mine, so these will hopefully be the last cell phone pics I post.



The reason why I'm inheriting the '98 SR5:



Happy puppies:



Lastly, the money pit. Having this truck will finally allow me to drop in the JDM engine and trans I've had sitting here.





/longwinded intro.


The aforementioned questions in regards to the ARB bumper and Leer cap:
I'm aware that the ARB bumper weighs quite a bit, and I checked out the Leer caps this past weekend and found that they weigh a ton. A friend of mine informed me that fellow Jeep owners have had to beef up the suspension after adding the ARB bumper. Should I expect excessive suspension sag with the bumper and cap?

I want a cap to give the dogs a bit more room than a cramped back seat. I was looking at the Leer caps locally, and found that the 100XL seems to be what I'm looking for. It has the carpeted headliner, sliding front window option, and the rear windows of the truck tilt out like the rear windows on the cab. It looks the best too, as the windows don't have a hugely-visible gasket and there is a center aero-latch instead of the large T-handles. Unfortunately, the cap will also run me about $1750. That's a bit more than I'm prepared to spend at the moment, but our puppy is growing fast so I'm a bit short on time to figure this out.

I also have the option for the 100R and 100XR. Both of these have the sliding side windows instead of the tilt-window. The R has the fugly T-handles on the rear window, while the XR has the aero-latch. The R has the option for the carpeted headliner (a must), while the XR has this standard. These caps will cost roughly $1250 and $1450 respectively.

The prices blew me out of the water, but I'm not finding a decent used cap on the east coast. I'm leaning towards the XR at least, but it might be worthwhile just to jump up to the XL for the features. This is definitely an expense I don't want to regret down the road. My question for you guys is, which cap side window options offers the best airflow through the bed, sliding or tilt windows?

Thank you suh's.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome to TW from Sparks, NV

 

Welcome to TW!

You should expect some sag when putting a shell and ARB bumper on a suspension that's already seen 300k miles.

As far as the pups, for their safety, the back seat or a crate in the bed is the safest place for them to ride. In the back seats or a crate, if you have to slam on the brakes or make another evassive maneuver, they don't have far they can travel before hitting something. If one of them is in the back of the bed, they have 6' before they hit the front of the bed.

Nice looking truck and I also really like that Subi!

 

Thanks guys, that's all good to know. For what it's worth, the shocks/struts have been replaced with Rancho components, but the springs are still original. I figure if I see a large amount of sag, I'll pick up some spacers for the coils and rear leafs. Granted, I still lose that suspension travel, but at least it will look acceptable.

I crew for a rally team on occasion, so I will be hauling tools, spares, and tires in the back. Because of that, I think I should do some research into helper springs for the rear. It looks like SuperSpring has a legit kit, but Hellwig has some cheaper alternatives.

 

welcome

 

Sup Shaun, Aloha!