I'm relatively new to the forum and I have made a couple posts on here, but I figured I'd start a build thread to show off some of the mods I've done and plan to do.

Here it is, all stock, given to me by my dad after it had sat for 5 years. I needed something a little bigger than my Camry after getting stuck pulling my jet ski.

First order of business was was bigger tires and new wheels. Picked up 5 pro comp 15x8 steelies and 5 33x12.50x15's for 500 bucks, what a deal.

And of course go get it dirty!


After I got it cleaned up, I decided to crank up the T-Bars and level it out.


Tires fit pretty nicely. Not bad, stock suspension on 33's, can't complain there.

Looking good. Do some good maintenance, you'll be driving it awhile

Yes, I have already put much more money into maintenance than I would like. 241,000 miles and still going strong.

Good stuff. Ray will like this one, bunches!

Welcome to The Wire!

So after driving the car for about a month, I started to get some very minor tire rub in the front (only when bouncing on trails). I thought I would do a 2" body lift to eliminate this rub and allow for 35" tires since I plan on doing some more serious wheeling in the summer. I bought the blocks from Roger Brown and supplied my own hardware. Thanks to all the info on here, it went very smoothly. I am very happy with the overall result, the truck looks and feels a lot taller for only 2". I also got that faded trim painted black.

That body lift sure helps out with those rubbing issues

So after taking a fishing trip to the mountains, I noticed two things.
1. The worn out factory shocks are not satisfactory for hauling a$$ on dirt roads.
2. I need more storage space.

To deal with issue one I installed a set of KYB Gas A Justs. Overall the performance is 10x better both on and especially off road.

And now for issue two. To gain more storage space, I decided to build a gutter mount roof rack to gain the much need storage space for trips with a lot of gear. I decided to make it the full length of the LWB roof (8 feet). I figured since I'm already doing all this work why not gain as much storage space as possible.

Here are the plans, and pictures of the finished product in case anyone would like to duplicate. For all you SWB guys, the design can easily be shortened to accommodate your shorter roof. If you have any questions or would like more specific pictures, feel free to PM me.

Will you add an access ladder over the rear side windows? That's a pretty large rack, too. Good job!

No, will not be doing that as most stuff up there will be light like sleeping bags and clothes, maybe a cooler.