Topic: need advice- is bigger always better

[84_yota_4wd]

hey people ive got a 1984 toyota 4wd pickup. kinda basic 22r, carb, solid front axle . im 18 and dont have much experiance but i do everything on the truck myself, i know my way around a truck , grew up around race cars. but not mucH 4wd knowledge. k ive put A 4" spring lift in the front and a 4" block lift in the back and when i bought it it had a 2"" body lift. i havent bought tires yet and currently roling on 29" dunlop mud rovers. now heres the big question do i put 33" muds on it and b happy or put 2" shackles and gears and go with 35 inch muds. now i mainly 4 whell in rivers and creeks kinda sandy mud lots of water. "IS BIGGER ALWAYS BETTER"

[wadeky]

When i first bought my truck i said the same thing . First i bought 31s and a spool for rear , lasted about 6 months . Then i did a sas 529s and a front locker , and 34s . Another 6 months whent buy then dual cases and 35s. That lasted about a year and a half , then 36s and four linked the rear with coil springs. What i am trying to say is if you think 33s is enough buy 35s , because once you start building its like drugs and you cant stop. It took me three years and four thousand dollars in  tires, and parts to come to that conclusion. So save yourself some money and work, and go with 35s and gears.

[79coyotefrg]

hey people ive got a 1984 toyota 4wd pickup. kinda basic 22r, carb, solid front axle . im 18 and dont have much experiance but i do everything on the truck myself, i know my way around a truck , grew up around race cars. but not mucH 4wd knowledge. k ive put A 4" spring lift in the front and a 4" block lift in the back and when i bought it it had a 2"" body lift. i havent bought tires yet and currently roling on 29" dunlop mud rovers. now heres the big question do i put 33" muds on it and b happy or put 2" shackles and gears and go with 35 inch muds. now i mainly 4 whell in rivers and creeks kinda sandy mud lots of water. "IS BIGGER ALWAYS BETTER"

ok,  get rid of the blocks,  go to a junk yard and get the rear springs from a late 80's to mid 90's  F150  ,  weld on a backet and mount them on your truck,  instant lift and flex  for under $50   and very little axle wrap


i would just run the 33-12.50's 
but 35's are probably the most popular

[kneedownnate]

With 4" spring lift and 2" body you'll clear 35s no problem.

[84_yota_4wd [OP]]

yea of couse i want 35s but r they practical im in alot of water useualy and it makes cense 2 me higher and bigger tires o keep up with water height. do the f-150 springs realy work how high r they the same as 4 inch blocks?

[kneedownnate]

Yea, lilbuddy has em on the back of his first gen and 5" fronts and it sits close to level.  As for 35s being practical, I'm afraid I don't really understand the question.  Yes, if you run 35s you'll probably wanna do some brake upgrades and gears, but you'd be wise to do that if you ran 33s also.  For what you're sayin you do I'd definately go with atleast 35s for creek crossings.

[84_yota_4wd [OP]]

yea deffinently need 2 do some brake upgrades and where can i get gears 4 cheap? what ratio should i run and any ideas on brake up grades

[86 4runner]

i still run 4.11 with my 35's, dont go as fast up hills as i used to but not bad at all really, i have no complaints overall.

[86 4runner]

brake upgrades:

FJ-40 rotors with IFS calipers

[84_yota_4wd [OP]]

yea i realy want gears though in alot of water need to not bog at all do u know the best ratio 4 that and wher do i get those brake parts

[86 4runner]

Mud is pretty much all i do and as long as you stay on the gas and are in the correct gear youll be fine. i dont see gears really making a differance in bogging you down. you can get the calipers from the wrecking yard or buy them new from any parts store. last time i bought them from napa for about $100. Best prices for the rotors are from marlin that i found. $39 a piece

[84_yota_4wd [OP]]

cool that saves alot of time and money do the ifs calipers bolt right up and sweet bumper where and how much i already tweeked my stock one in a creek it a preety big hill under the water

[86 4runner]

They bolt right up but i think you need to trim the dust sheild and possibliy run wheel spacers. im doing the IFS hub conversion on mine to widen it 3 inches to match the IFS rear. you dont have to run spacers but its a lot of work.

my bumper is a ARB winch bumper, i got it and a non winch ARB bumper for $400  because i got it on discount from this guy i do business with with, they sent me the wrong one (the non winch one) and then they sent me the right one and i just got to keep the other one and he wrote it off. I bent the out of the mounting brackets pulling my buddys Bronco II out of the mud. im not to happy with it, but i made my own brakets and now it does alright

[84_yota_4wd [OP]]

yea ill stick with the ifs calapers 4 now i was tinkin of makin a tube front bumber myself but thats also a to of work how much better r the brakes the brakes sounds preety ez and if it works great sweet

[86 4runner]

there a lot better than the stock solid axle brake setup. its an easy bolt on deal, no proplem

[84_yota_4wd [OP]]

sweet man thanks 4 the help

[86 4runner]

tube bumpers are sweet, id like one but i dont have the resources to build one. as for the gears see how you like it stock with the 35's, you can always upgrade later. theres a lot of people that will have different opinions on the subject btu its all a matter of personal preference, why do it if you feel that you dont need to. i was origionally going to spend all the money on gears but put it off and decided it wasnt necesary, and used the money for something else.

[86 4runner]

no problem

[toyo487]

I would definently put gears in if you are going to run 35's then I'd run 5.29's, and for 33's I'd run 4.88's  you could even run the 5.29's with the 33's.   I run 31X10.5 BFG Mud terrains with 4.88's, I love me gearing, I have power to get up hills and to tow a trailer.

[84_yota_4wd [OP]]

yea i try it with out first and then decide where can u get the best deal on gears if i do need them

[Rocksurfer]

Plan what you want to end up with before you start. There are some basics in what you want in a rig, are you going to drive it on a daily basis, is it going to do trails only, are you going to tow it on a trailer, flat-tow or drive it to the trail.  Take into consideration as to weather you are going to bash the crap out of it or do you want to keep it nice looking. Don't under-estimate what you want to end up with. It sucks to buy 35's and then decide you would have been better off with 37's or 33's.

First I would decide what size tires you want since this is what everything else revolves around. 

Next how much lift is needed to fit those tires.

Now determine the gearing for the tires.

Once you figure out these things you have your basis of what you want. The next thing to figure out is the options you want that can be done while you do these to you truck like lockers, highsteer, etc. etc. that can be done as you build to eliminate having to do it again.

You don't have to go crazy wild to achieve a very competent rig, currently I have 33's, about 4 1/2 lift, limited-slips and stock gearing, but don't tell anyone they won't believe I go where I do with such little of a build.

Now the rest of the stuff is gravy, like installing crawler gears and such since you didn't need to take them into consideration to build it initially.