Due To More people jumping into these mighty rigs a few of us thought it would be a great idea to start the thread for prados!!

Anyway heres mine.
97 95series prado.
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/beast2h/Image0471covered.jpg
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/beast2h/Image0501.jpg

Here my Prado it's a 2000 TD auto, 2" spring lift with bilsteins. and 265/75r16 BFG MT. I think I might put some 80 series shocks on the rear for more articulation, and Total choas upper control arms in the front. (Those are on the wish list!)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e12/Cpt_Disco/Prado%20Articulation%20pics/DSC01778.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e12/Cpt_Disco/Prado%20Articulation%20pics/DSC01775.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e12/Cpt_Disco/Prado%20Articulation%20pics/DSC01776.jpg

Andy

May aswell throw some pics up aswell.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a350/r0ck_m0nkey/Dscf1067resize.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a350/r0ck_m0nkey/Dscf1074resize.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a350/r0ck_m0nkey/Dscf1068resize.jpg

Amazed at how many (incl myself) still have the stock sidesteps on. Even more i havn't bent them, as the dragged the majority of the way down that step in the last pic.

Hey Trogen what kind of shocks are you running.

ANdy

Hey Trogen what kind of shocks are you running.

ANdy

Just ironman shocks, nothing to special. They could be a little longer in the back, but for what the Prado gets used for, they suffice.

my pride and joy, 98 gxl
ome coils and shocks
super pro bushes
snorkel, tx 3400 uhf
k&n airfilter
procomp mud terrains 265/75
custom bash plates
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z265/sfriwgn/4wdmthred007-1.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z265/sfriwgn/whoops1.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z265/sfriwgn/DSC00302.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z265/sfriwgn/MtGillen13.jpg
this is what happen when you climb steep hills with crazy sideways angles. to much pressure on the front end. the two before are of last weeks finke desert race. i spent all sunday pulling buggies up this dune. so someone had to show them how its done.

1999 Prado 90 series
Nothing to dramatic done.
ARB Steel Winch Bar
Safari Snorkel
IPF Lights
OME suspension kit.

Amazed at how many (incl myself) still have the stock sidesteps on. Even more i havn't bent them, as the dragged the majority of the way down that step in the last pic.

yeah i will change after i get a bar and make side rails!! ive only left them on there for my chicky to get in and out!! and a little protection.
also great to see the prados comming out!

Ahhh, a place to call home.

I've got a '97 V6 GXL, a work in progress with 2.5" lift, 33" XTerrains, plenty of illumination, and a splash of body bling ;)

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t152/taresk/HPIM3387Small.jpg
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t152/taresk/100_1560Small.jpg
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t152/taresk/100_1531Small.jpg

taresk your rear tyres scrub anywhere???

My 97 GXL stocker!!!

taresk your rear tyres scrub anywhere???

No, they dont. I think it's because i'm running coil spacers on top of the standard height coils, i'm still working on what to do with that end.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t152/taresk/PIC00752.jpg

They just miss the flare, and the wheel offset keep them off the inside of the wheelwell

Love your Prado Taresk, if I sell the Lux my next 4b is definately a Prado.

yeah taresk it looks cool :D and yours too trojan :D

Hey Gxlprado - Is that a Safari snorkel? Any problems or issues? Looking at getting a snorkel fitted into mine...

yeah taresk it looks cool :D and yours too trojan :D

Must be our bling wheels http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/images/icons/icon6.gif

Mine is a 2003 GX Turbo Diesel. Just back from crossing the Simmo.
ARB steel bar
OME suspension upgrade 2" lift
Safari Snorkel
Self made drawers and shelves with Waeco frig slide and Black Widow half barrier.
Cooper Discoverer 235/70R17 ATR's on the standard 6" steel rims
Uniden UHO13 UHF

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/comprado/B047.jpg

Must be our bling wheels http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/images/icons/icon6.gif

Yeh think just how good they would look then:thumb: :p

Here's mine.

a 1991 TD Prado Import

http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7914&stc=1&d=1182225362

http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7915&stc=1&d=1182225372

http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7916&stc=1&d=1182225384

now thats old school!!!

Hey Gxlprado - Is that a Safari snorkel? Any problems or issues? Looking at getting a snorkel fitted into mine...

Risto,

It's a TJM Airtec snorkel. I haven't experience any problems or issues.

Here is my prado
2" lift
32" coopers
dual batteries
custom rear draw
60L waeco
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m122/syco8/100_1058.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m122/syco8/100_1040.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m122/syco8/4wding/PIC_0065.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m122/syco8/shootingtrip30122006-34.jpg

Yeh think just how good they would look then:thumb: :p

Black is Bling :p

Mine is mainly a beach runner stock apart from tyres and duel bats for the beer fridge get around to doing some more when i pay off the wedding

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d101/Prado120/P1010316.jpg

Mine is mainly a beach runner stock apart from tyres and duel bats for the beer fridge get arount to doing some more when i pay off the wedding

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d101/Prado120/IMG_0682.jpg

IMG]http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d101/Prado120/P1010316.jpg[/IMG]

baby troupe nice rig... i thought about selling my old 75 ute and getting one of them!

has anyone put in a longer panhard rod and trailing arms for the rear? just thinking out loud.

i to would like to know about a panhard rod... i was thinking about getting mine cut and changed to adjustible.

baby troupe nice rig... i thought about selling my old 75 ute and getting one of them!
Thanks mate.
She goes alright.
I have occasionally thought about replacing it, but I have not seen anything that is a better fit for what I do vs the amount of $$$ I would have to spend.

Be nice to have a bit more power than the 2.4L TD has to offer.

http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7933&stc=1&d=1182253786

fair enough. there is one getting around where i live... ive been meaning to go and have a better look

playdo98 did you have to get custom made extractors?? and did it make much difference?

i to would like to know about a panhard rod... i was thinking about getting mine cut and changed to adjustible.


I've got an adjustable one, you need it with any decent lift, otherwise the rear axle ends up way out of wack, even a 50mm lift will put it about 20mm out.

3rds Productions made mine, took a while but mine was their first Prado bar, so now they have the dimensions, should be quick to make, and they should have a RRP for it too by now.

Baby Troupe, have people started mistaking yours for a 70 series Troopy yet?

Baby Troupe, have people started mistaking yours for a 70 series Troopy yet?
I had a bloke driving one of the new 70 series tell me I have the wrong headlights & asked what I had done to the bonnet & paintwork.

Then he realised my vehicle was 16 years older than his LOL.

My 2004 TD GXL Manual

Black Widow Drawers
1/2 Height Cargo Barrier
TJM Dual Batteries
TJM 2" Lift with Bilstiens Shockies
TJM Rear Prolocker (Cant wait to try this on the Cape York trip)
TJM Sump Guard (Awesome strong looking)
TJM Black OX compressor (Now under bonnet)
Uni Filter Foam Air filter
70 Series Cooper ST's
Safari Snorkel
Folding Trek Table on Rear door
And Trashed Original Side steps ;-)

here's mine :

http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=29207

haven't done anything further since the tyres and suspension, but next on the cards is an off road box trailer.

98 GXL 3.4L
OME Springs and & Shocks
ARB Bullbar and Warn Winch
Dual Batteries
Custom Rear Draws
Airtech Snorkle
265/75 16 Cooper ST (soon to be MT MTZ)
Glind Shower
Extractors and 2 1/2" Exhaust
K&N Filter

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q130/Playdo98/P1010507.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q130/Playdo98/Flex3.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q130/Playdo98/DuneJumping-1.jpg

Extractors were supplied by Wildcat which is the backend of the Genie factory. Exhaust is a mandrel bent straight through system with a pacemaker muffler. Total system cost $1500.00.

It has only been on for about 1200 km's and I have already noticed a 2l per 100km drop in fuel (getting about 13l per 100km)

Biggest difference is in the amount of low end torque and top end power (79kw to 87kw at the wheels). On the highway I just put a bit of right boot down and she response straight away. Also noticed that on sand I now have to be a little bit more careful from a standing start not to bury her in.

Apart from the increased torque and Kw she also sounds great i.e. no resinators :)


http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q130/Playdo98/DynoRun-KWNm.jpg

ok thanks mate ill ask my local exhaust bloke about them.

What sort of economy do you get out of the 3.4l 6

What sort of economy do you get out of the 3.4l 6


Mine (V6 Auto with 265/75R16 tyres) typically gets around the 13-14L/100km on road. Offroad, could be anything.

not too shabby does it have plenty of go. what do they tow like

not too shabby does it have plenty of go. what do they tow like

Depends on what you want to compare it to. Certainly not as slow as some, but certainly no race car. Has more then enough power to make day to day driving more then comfortable.

Never towed anything with mine, so can't comment on that part.



I had a bit of a stuff around photochopping for something to do.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a350/r0ck_m0nkey/PradoChop.jpg

Here is my 2001 TD GXL Prado.

OME 50mm lift
16 x 8 ROH mags
265 x 75 Cooper ST's 80k+ and still going strong
Duel Battery
Tunit engine chip
40lt Engel
ARB Compressor
Milford Cargo Barrier
Sandgrabber floor mats
Full length scratches & slightly bent side steps

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b355/davidwarland/100_0023_sm.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b355/davidwarland/DSCF0028.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b355/davidwarland/SmallIMG_0827.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b355/davidwarland/IMG_0831.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b355/davidwarland/stockton.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b355/davidwarland/skytrek.jpg

playdo98 were the extractors for a v6 hilux??? because when my exhaust bloke rang them they only make them for the 5VZ-FE in the hilux not the prado.
Nice Prados Guys!

heres ours

98 3.4l
Pretty standard,except for 265x75 Dick cepeks,dual batt,snorkel,rear storage,fridge,roof basket
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v678/4wdaddict/Dsc_0039c-1.jpg

Beast2h, I am pretty sure that the model number for the Wildcat Cat headers is #290. I am pretty sure that they are not listed in the current catalogues, but if your exhaust specialist contacts genie they will be able to provide them with the correct part number. I don't think you can use the hilux extractors and the space provided for the exhaust manafold is less. Hope this helps

:waycool: I got two quotes last week for extractors and 2.5" mandrel bent exhaust for my 99 Prado V6 here in Brissie. Cost for both were about $1250 fitted, one place at Albion and one at Redcliffe. Extractors were ordered off the shelve :cool:

he rung them when i was there and all they could come up with was the hilux ones. He said he could make me a set for about $1000 which included the pipe back to where the the big stock muffler is. ill go and see him again

My quote from Sureflow was $900 for custom made extractors, Stainless Steel, with ceramic coating, a little over 2k for the lot with highflow muffler, and moving the crossover pipe up out of the way.

Most custom exhaust shops should do it for a fairly similar price.

some awesome looking trucks in here boys! good work all round!

dont see many done up prados on the coast

look good guys! :D

This is a mates pardo. It was one week old here. It went better then I thought. It is a Grande model it was like four wheel driving in a big leather lounge chair.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/babylux/100_0414.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/babylux/100_0416.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/babylux/100_0401.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/babylux/100_0400.jpg

I guess I'd better get in on the act ;)

I have a 99 V6 Grande, 2" lift, snorkel, ECB bar with Lightforce 170's, BFG, New TJM rear Prolocker (works great), Outback overhead console and a few other goodies. I just love it......
http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x229/Maxfli113/th_P3270054.jpghttp://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x229/Maxfli113/th_DSC_0138.jpghttp://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x229/Maxfli113/th_P1220023.jpg


Image of LCMP No 1 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting (http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x229/Maxfli113/?action=view&current=P1220023.jpg)
Image of Levuka - Playpen - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting (http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x229/Maxfli113/?action=view&current=P3270054.jpg)
Image of Fraser Island - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting (http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x229/Maxfli113/?action=view&current=DSC_0138.jpg)

Prado thread I love it.
So here's mine.
99' RV6, (I'm not a fan of all the plastic bits you get on a GXL etc.)
Tough Dog suspension.
Cooper ST's 245 75 16's
Smart bar
GME 3400
custom shelves
Cibie Super Oscar's


http://preview.hillary.photosite.com/~photos/tn/11560265_1024.ts1182859988000.jpg

are most people running with the sway bar on the front? if so does your front end fully compress on full articulation? mine dosent i dont know if its the sway bar of the springs are to heavy.

are most people running with the sway bar on the front? if so does your front end fully compress on full articulation? mine dosent i dont know if its the sway bar of the springs are to heavy.
I don't, but my front end is a tad different.

Mine fully compresses & on full flex, the spring falls from the hanger a little.
It goes back in again as soon as it gets loaded up again.

i still run mine and it doesn't compress unless i hit a large bump or wallow.

yeah i dont know weather to try an adjustible shock with a slightly softer spring, but i really need/want the extra ride height!

i went ome but standard spring hardness and shock hardness only higher. coz i never carry heavy loads the ride is very smooth and predictable. it suffers with a really heavy load tho, ie car trailer with car.

here's mine.
2001 3.4V6
2" Kings and Bilstein
265 75 16s MT MTX
IPF 900XS spot lights
UHF

very happy with it, i can't even bog her when try!! i will have to get some flex shots.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t304/mcfqn/P4090103.jpg?t=1183200377

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t304/mcfqn/P3230017.jpg?t=1183200258

and before the mods -
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t304/mcfqn/P9300312_2.jpg?t=1183200296

Extreme limits off road sell spring spacers for the 03 model + now as well if this helps you guys at all?

for front as well??

No beast2h, at this stage only for rear.

Here's mine, and it can be yours for only $39,000

http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/f16/2003-prado-gxl-turbo-diesel-3lt-auto-now%2439-000-a-33564/

are most people running with the sway bar on the front? if so does your front end fully compress on full articulation? mine dosent i dont know if its the sway bar of the springs are to heavy.


I've got the front sway bar on my Prado (http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=222.0) disconnected ATM. I just removed one of the links.

Did a bit of a comparo a few years ago and the difference between sway bar on and sway bar off was about 30 - 40mm travel ( full compress to full extend) at the front end. This was using the exact same shock/spring set up, just disconnecting the front swaybar.

removed my front swaybar on the weekend. first thoughts are:
more body roll which means i drive on blackstuff slower saving my tyres. does seem to grip better at the front off road. bit scary atm on sideways angles coz it rocks more but i should get used to it. in the end its gunna stay off.

oh and does any one know of a rear diff protector or would another one fit ie four runner/surf/hilux?

Ok fellas after 8 hours work over the weekend i got a few things done to the 4b. what do you think of them???
These are my new rear swaybar linkages. cut the old ones and extended them by 2 inches
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z265/sfriwgn/DSC00413.jpg
And these are my new rock sliders....
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z265/sfriwgn/DSC00414.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z265/sfriwgn/DSC00416.jpg
sorry about the extreemly large photo's. kinda f*@ked up loading them onto photobucket.:crazy:

Finally talked the mrs into giving up her 12mth old Rav4 and ordered a td Prado last week. Should see it by the end of Aug start Sept! Cant wait!!

What sort of economy do you get out of the 3.4l 6

That word "economy" doesnt exist when put together with 3.4Lt V6!! :D

seeing as how i like old school more than anything, i dont have a prado. however my dad does and he loves it. here's a few pics, more can be fewed on the second page of my shed. tried to get a flex shot but the hump wasnt big enough to really do anything. the mods he has on are: 2" suspension with rancho 5000's on front and 9000 adjustable's on rear, with air bag coils in rear also. tjm bullbar, uniden UHF(same as mine, mobile face one), and just a few other mods in it that he did for when him and my mum go on their little "touring" trips which in the future will become bigger trips. anyway, here it is.
http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/shed/images/uploads/big/490_1796_P4250132.JPG-smaller.jpg

http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/shed/images/uploads/big/490_3585_P4250134.JPG-smaller.jpg
http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/shed/images/uploads/big/490_2333_P4250136.JPG-smaller.jpg
http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/shed/images/uploads/big/490_1406_P4250138.JPG-smaller.jpg

got some more pics somewhere(other than the additional ones on my shed page 2) but cant find them on the comp so yeah.

That word "economy" doesnt exist when put together with 3.4Lt V6!! :D

Trust me, previously owning a 3.0 V6 4Runner, I assure you, the 3.4 could be a lot worse, lol.

lol

LOL, I got about 30L/100kms when I towed a trailer weighing about 800-900kgs from Sydney to Brisbane, towed no problem, only had to pull into a servo twice as often as the Sydney to Fraser run 4 months previous.

And dont mention the economy in city driving with the air con on, theres another Toyo disgrace!!!

LOL, I got about 30L/100kms when I towed a trailer weighing about 800-900kgs from Sydney to Brisbane, towed no problem, only had to pull into a servo twice as often as the Sydney to Fraser run 4 months previous.

And dont mention the economy in city driving with the air con on, theres another Toyo disgrace!!!

Have you had your speedo racalibrated to suit larger tyres, giving you lower distance readings and throwing out your figures? Or your engine checked out? Or maybe you right foot needs some weight taken off it. Not having a go, but thats some seriously bad figures, that just don't sound right to the three 3.4L V6's i've had, both in my Prado and two previous Hilux work vehicles i've had/have.

The work Hiluxs were always overloaded, they had Steel XL work bodies on the back which were filled with tools, spare parts etc, and even when towing a trailer with at times 500kg of gas cylinders, maybe at times crept towards the 20L/100km mark, but never went as bad as what your saying. I seriously think their is something at odds with yours.

yeah i agree with trojan. mine is heavyest when heavy 4wdriving at high revs... but no where near that

Nah, those figures were with 31 tyres, but it wasnt a "swear on ur life" calculation. It was just that I was pulling in more often to fill up, but Id say it wasnt far off I guess. I did have the right boot pretty well planted for most of the trip, but wouldnt go faster than 100ks on the flat, or 80 on the hills.

Where would I go to get the engine checked out??

As for the economy with the air con on, I can swear to all gods that as soon as you switch on the air con, and drive about for a small while, the fuel guage has dropped, no word of a lie, at least a qtr tank!!!!

Ta

Hi all

Just got feedback from Scott Lonard Automotive on the 120 rear spacers.

He is wrapped in the product and we now have them available

See us at

extremelimitsoffroad.com.au

Great. At last a Prado thread. Telling people what Prado owners have known all along. I'll get some photos up soon.

Regards
D.T.
:crazy:

taresk can you please tell me the unsprung full length of your front coilover. And did you do a diff drop and if so how much and what did you have to do to do it and what did you use!

This Prado thread is dangerous, we're all feeding off each others mods, and wanting to spend so much more money on our Prados!

Well this applies for me!

Andy

taresk can you please tell me the unsprung full length of your front coilover. And did you do a diff drop and if so how much and what did you have to do to do it and what did you use!

How badly do you need the full unsprung length? They're currently about 570mm, but winding them out to get the full length is a bit of a process, given the limited workspace I have here at home, DR might be able to tell you off hand if you contact their techs ( Donahoe Racing Off-Road Desert Racing Suspension Systems, Shocks and Lift Kits (http://www.donahoeracing.com) ), keep in mind they have roughly 75mm adjustability (standard height to 3" lift).

Toyota 4Runner - Tacoma Tapered 1"Front Differential Drop Spacers (http://www.sonoransteel.com/store_tapered_diff_drop.html)
This is a link to the diff drop I used, mostly bolt on, you just have to modify the two bits of reinforcement on the back of the skid plate, to give the diff more clearance.
I also highly reccommend their cushy rear bump stops, make a big difference offroad.

Safari_Wagon, those sliders are great, but you should gussett the main bar to each of the supports, similar to what you did at the chassis mounting points, any off angle hit and those round support tubes will buckle in on themselves. Round tube is great for loads from tube end to tube end, like pushing down on the tip of a flag pole, but soon as they get a sideways load, they bend.

Square tube is best if you dont want to gussett the welds.

But apart from that they look great, wish I could weld as good as that!!

This Prado thread is dangerous, we're all feeding off each others mods, and wanting to spend so much more money on our Prados!

Well this applies for me!

Andy


You're not alone Andy, :D

taresk when you adjust the height does it lengthen the whole thing or does it put more pressure on the spring? if it puts more pressure on the spring you should be albe to measure the strut at current full droop and that will be it.

Also Agree With Andy

Safari_Wagon, those sliders are great, but you should gussett the main bar to each of the supports, similar to what you did at the chassis mounting points, any off angle hit and those round support tubes will buckle in on themselves. Round tube is great for loads from tube end to tube end, like pushing down on the tip of a flag pole, but soon as they get a sideways load, they bend.

Square tube is best if you dont want to gussett the welds.

But apart from that they look great, wish I could weld as good as that!!
nah i dont think they will. its not normal round pipe.it has the 3mm wall and all joints are v'd out to make the weld stronger. the guy who welded these on normaly welds teeth back onto buckets that are used in open cut mining. so i have been given a lifetime guarantee on them. "your chassis will fold before those f*#kers will" to put it in his words.

can people show what sort of storage system they have come up with in the back of their prado??? this is mine so far.
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/beast2h/Image042.jpg
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/beast2h/Image040.jpg
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/beast2h/Image043.jpg

SHOW YOURS!!!

Oh ok, when you said unsprung length I thought you meant load free. With the weight of the wheel/ suspension pulling it down to it's limit (before I put the swaybar back on) a rough measurement was around 600mm.

I don't know for sure if that is to the internal bump-stop or just to the limit of the coil, might go further if wound right out, the design of it does just put more pressure on the coil.

Keep in mind, mine are the extended versions designed for use with a heim-jointed UCA, there is a shorter version for use with the standard UCA and ball joint, which does not actually increase travel over standard, just improves control.
Hope that helps

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t152/taresk/PIC00207.jpg

Here's my '98 90 series VX...

http://snaga.optixphoto.com/ov/pentaxdipprado.jpg

No mods as yet but in the next few weeks I'm getting a 2" lift courtesy of a Billies and Lovells combo.

nah i dont think they will. its not normal round pipe.it has the 3mm wall and all joints are v'd out to make the weld stronger. the guy who welded these on normaly welds teeth back onto buckets that are used in open cut mining. so i have been given a lifetime guarantee on them. "your chassis will fold before those f*#kers will" to put it in his words.


Granted that the welds will hold true, but the round tube is still inherently easier to bend that square tube. But they still look the goods and will take some punishment. Better than the sills hey!

Here is a thread to the storage system I made for mine.

http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/f22/dts-home-made-roller-drawers-18372/

Hope this helps a bit.

Regards
D.T.

Granted that the welds will hold true, but the round tube is still inherently easier to bend that square tube. But they still look the goods and will take some punishment. Better than the sills hey!
yeah better than sills. need transfer case and fuel tank guards now. got a big bang from under there last night and was a bit worried.

Hey Guys check this 2" Body lift! KZJ90 2" bodylift installed - IH8MUD.com Forum (http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=153893)

gee might have to look more seriously and at body lift now!

Oh so tempting, but I think mine is close to as high as I want to go, it does what I want it to, wouldn't mind a 1" BL just for some small tweaks...

i think 1" would be enough i think you would run into some larger issues with more than that!

I think I would put a BL in but, I can't really see why I need it, especially since I live in QLD were the tires can only be 15mm larger then diameter.........unless I have a set of off-road tires!

Andy

I think I would put a BL in but, I can't really see why I need it, especially since I live in QLD were the tires can only be 15mm larger then diameter

You have 265/75R16's on a GXL correct? Standard tyres are 265/70R16, so the tyres you're running are about 25-26mm taller anyway over standard.

Well tires size varies between different tire manufacutre. I have found that the largest 265/70r16 are the BFG AT (diameter 792mm) so you can increase the tires size to 807mm.

The 265/75r16 BFG MT and the overall diameter is 810mm, I bought mine 2nd hand so the overall diamter isn't 810mm when I bought them (Thats my argument anyways!)

I could actually fit 265/75r16 Cooper ST which are 806mm but I "couldn't" fit the STT of the "same size" which are 812mm.

Andy

Well tires size varies between different tire manufacutre. I have found that the largest 265/70r16 are the BFG AT (diameter 792mm) so you can increase the tires size to 807mm.

The 265/75r16 BFG MT and the overall diameter is 810mm, I bought mine 2nd hand so the overall diamter isn't 810mm when I bought them (Thats my argument anyways!)

I could actually fit 265/75r16 Cooper ST which are 806mm but I "couldn't" fit the STT of the "same size" which are 812mm.

Andy

Doesn't matter. You're digging at a a minor technicality that you wouldn't win. If you wanted to get technical, your standard tyre is a Dunlop Grandtrek, and being a HT style tyre, would be on the smaller side of diameter for the size.

Tyre sizing is worked out from Tyre and Rim Association of Australia Standards Manual. So just because one tyre of a larger size may be close to equal to that of another brand in the slightly smaller size means absolutely nothing. Fact is, there is an inch difference between the two sizes, so you're basically clutching at straws, the whole point of the 15mm is basically really to allow for the slight variances in tyre brands and models marked as the same size.

In reality though, no one will probably ever pick up on it or bother you over being 1 profile size up on the same width tyre. I've been pulled over by the Police and questioned about tyres and such. All he wanted to know was what i had done to my Prado, because he liked the look of it and wanted to do similiar mods to his own.

The main thing that's stopped me getting a BL so far is that with long touring trips in the pipeline with many long rough roads, i'm paranoid about fatigue around the body mounts, I don't know how founded that fear is, but that's all that's really stopping me atm.

Well that and a wishlist with no clear priority, and a budget that won't cover it all ;)

i think if you used large enough spaces so you got a big surface area on the bottem of the cab you wouldent have any problem.

Im worried with the extra bl that mine will be too unstable as in centre of gravity. with the small to medium wheel base we have and the tracks i drive on id be more worried about rolling it, not to mention the legalities of having a body lift

i tried some 285/75R16 on the prado today... they were on 16x8 with landcruiser offset. they scrubed on the rear of the rear tyre where the flare wraps around into the wheel arch. and also on the front mudflap when turning. i know the front would have. ill have to trim the rear a fair bit but it will look good after its done... what have other people done

Fitting 285's...
I didn't have to do anything with the rear, it never touched, the front was a combo of removing the mudflap, grinding the body seam, and having the castor wound forward, lots of fun.

mine does on the rear at full compression where the flare wraps around above the mud flap into the wheel arch... i think i will have to square it up. a little work ahead i think

Fitting 285's...
I didn't have to do anything with the rear, it never touched, the front was a combo of removing the mudflap, grinding the body seam, and having the castor wound forward, lots of fun.
would it have been better to hammer or fold the seam back?? it looks too structual (spelling) to be grinding away.

would it have been better to hammer or fold the seam back?? it looks too structual (spelling) to be grinding away.

I tried that, but a very thick seam combined with limited swing space, led me to the grinder.
In the end, I only took about 5-10mm off the seam which sticks about 25-30mm out from the firewall, I ground up to about 150mm from the bottom of it, checking often how much I needed for the tyre to clear, I didn't even go down to the spot welds so the structural integrity should still be intact.

The main catch with what I did was trimming the inner guard allows the tyres to flick mud into the cavity behind the mudguard just ahead of the front door hinges (not easy to get out).

Does anyone know if 33x12.5x15 muddies will fit my stock Prado (no lift!) without scrubbing??? I'm thinking about "borrowing" my hubbies wheels off his 60 series for the weekend!

Cheers
Ros

Won't fit, You would need a lift to fit those tyres.

Andy

the disc rotors are to big too fit 15's. i tried it already

i had a look at that seam tonight...... i few questions first... how did you remove the clips out without breaking them, 2 did you leave the plastic wheel arch cover in there. some pics might be the go!... now as for the seam... i obtained a set of 16x8 sunnies with 285/75r16 bfg all treains with about half tread. i cut the seam back to about 5mm before the spot welds the wheel clears it by about 3mm with about 1inch to the bump stop so not enough at full compression/flexing parts(bushes etc) i wouldent think.... a bloke at work and i decided that i should cut the seam back so the lower two spot welds are just cut off and the upper one half cut off then weld along the full seam...
i think i will do that before i go playing with the castor.
as for the rear i think in the rear of the wheel arch where the flare curves around and meets the mud flap i will cut it square and streghten the back of it with some aluminum striping!

98 RV6. BFGs. Tough Dog shocks and coils. Poly air bags. 2 inch lift to come. Factory alloy bar. Fender flares. Air tech snorkel. Hella 4000s. Uniden dual band cb. Dual batteries. Engel 40lt. Been everywhere. Goes bush every weekend out of Kalgoorlie.

Ok,

Not breaking the clips, I would say is a matter of practice, no special tricks (I used to fit 4x4 accessories for a living), fairly cheap if you do break them though.

I trimmed the inner guard, as I mentioned before this does allow mud to enter the cavity ahead of the front door, behind the mudguard, so if you can leave the guard intact, do it.

As for the amount you had to trim, the tolerance levels in the factory mean no two cars are likely to be the same, so chances are different Prado's will need more or less trimming.

Are you a member of 90scool? (yahoo group), I have a pic of my alignment data posted, so you can see how much castor I have (should you choose to do that, don't have it on Photobucket, so can't post it here)
I'll stick on a pic I have that shows the trimmed guard, before sealing and painting (which also happens to be my avatar)

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t152/taresk/DSC00108.jpg

could you give me a link to you alignment data sheet please? i could not find it!

http://autos.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/90scool_aus/photos/view/ea45?b=15&m=f&o=0

Hopefully that will work.

ok.... tonight after work i removed the mudflap and folded back the wheel arch plastic and cut the seam back to about 3 to 5mm in width then a bloke from work whos pritty handy with a mig welded the seam for me. I then cut the the wheel arch plastic even with the seam. then uesd some stuff thats a little like sikaflex but alot better, the owner of a local panel shop gave it to me. i well coated the whole seam with this stuff and then used it to hold the plastic back.... in the end it come up pritty tidy!
here is a pic of the wheel at the closet point to it sitting on level ground.
hope people understand that!!!
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/beast2h/Image053.jpg
sorry about the quality! (note the tyres are about half tread)

Won't fit, You would need a lift to fit those tyres.

Andy

Thanks, I thought that may be the case :(


the disc rotors are to big too fit 15's. i tried it already

Bugga! Oh well, I guess his wheels are safe for now :D will just have to take it for a run in the Wattos with the stock wheels! :p

My hubby was told that we could put 15" Sunnies on the Prado and they would fit straight on and would give us a better choice of tyres! The bloke that runs one of the local tyre stores told him that about 6 months ago but we never tried it.

Thanks Again guys, I'll have to keep an eye on this thread to give me some ideas of how I can mod my 4by with his funds! :D:D:D

Cheers
Ros

Nice work Beast2h, but I suspect that you will still scrub out when you turn up driveways, bumps etc at a bit of speed and you compress your suspension.

But, like Ive found, if you take it easy in the areas that you know will make it scrub, you can still drive 100% of the time without actually scrubbing, it that makes sense.

Cheers

This thread is a bloody good excuse to invest in a larger wallet :)

Hey Taresk. I am just wondering how those Procomps are wearing on your truck. I was looking at replacing my ST's with MT MTZ's, but I do like the look of the Procomps.

Also, can anyone tell me whether it is illegal to fit a body lift to a vehicle with airbags. I see a lot of vehicles going around with bodylifts that come standard with airbags.

I don't want to sound biased here, but these are the best tyres I've ever had :D

That's compared to Cooper ST, BFG AT & MT, Kumho somethings (forgot), and Maxxis Mudzilla's.

The catch is 285/75R16 is the smallest size they come in.

i got caught on that catch. if id only jumped on this forum 2 weeks earlier i would be running 285's ( didn't know it was that easy to fit). oh well, will have to wait until these wear out before i upgrade.
Playdo98: i think there is a thread going already about lifts and airbags.

I wouldn't mind going up to a 285 75 size tyre. The only thing that has put me off doing it so far is the potential poss in power and fuel economy. Not that I am overly concerned about fuel, as I would probably have a little 4cy fun killer if I did.

Did you notice much difference when you upsized taresk?

Body lift and air bags are a no go!!! take a look at this website....
National Code of Practice for Light Vehicle Construction and Modification (NCOP) (http://www.dotars.gov.au/roads/safety/bulletin/vsb_ncop.aspx)

I was surprised actually, having gone to 33's on my 4Runner, I was expecting a fairly noticible drop in power, but it really didn't make much difference, even my mechanic and the guy that does my wheel alignments have been surprised at how much power it has with the big tyres.

As for economy, I haven't actually checked it since fitting the 33's, but I don't think it was that big of a change.

It occurred to me that I didn't answer your question about wear of the tyres, they've only done a bit over 5000km, but apart from a few chips on the front ones (where they were hitting the guards before I made room for them), they're not showing any wear at all, from the reviews I read before I bought them, if rotated and balanced regularly, you can expect between 70-80k out of them

Hay beast,

is there a reason you have the fridge that way. ?

I would have thought it would be easyer to get at stuff in the fridge if it was turned around the other way (door to the back)

or is it only in for the pic and I'm being a little silly

I recently put 285/75R16's Goodyear Wrangler MT/R's on... similar to Taresk, I used to have a surf (2.4L TD) with 33" tyres and I really noticed a difference in the gearing and in the braking. On the prado, however, I haven't noticed much difference. (I'm not sure how the standard tyre sizes compare between the two vehicles.)

The tyres are on 16x7JJ (80 series) rims, and the stock rims are 16x7J, so I guess there is an offset difference... right? And I've got 2" lifted springs. Anyhow, it was scrubbing on the back of the front wheel arch, where that seam we're all talking about is, and I don't think it's scrubbing anywhere else (I did take it 4WD'ing, and I didn't notice any body damage nor hear anything that sounded like scrubbing).

The seams were easy to bend using a big shifting spanner and a hammer. Now I'm worried they are going to rust on the inside of the bend where the paint must have come off and I can't reach to re-paint.

As for removing those fasteners holding that thin plastic lining of the inside of the wheel arch... They are constructed in 2 parts. Gently pry the inner 'pin' about 3mm out of the outer 'shroud.' You should then be able to pry the outer shroud out of the hole. If you break the head off the 'pin,' push the remainder out of the 'shroud' and maybe stick a self tapper in there next time.

Hay beast,

is there a reason you have the fridge that way. ?

I would have thought it would be easyer to get at stuff in the fridge if it was turned around the other way (door to the back)

or is it only in for the pic and I'm being a little silly

i put it that way so when my table it down off the door i can access the fridge from the other side easly!

i put it that way so when my table it down off the door i can access the fridge from the other side easly!


Of course. Silly me I should have looked harder (and read your posts) as you have a 60 lt fridge.

yeah thats cool mate!!

My storage solution

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f335/dhula/new%20car%20pics/000_0291.jpg

Although there is now a table that is omunted to the rear door as well.

The top self is made of light stuff and only for light stuff like sleeping bags etc.

do you find it a pain to access your fridge due to the height?

Hey dhula, I really like top shelf in your storage system. Nice job

Andy

do you find it a pain to access your fridge due to the height?

Not really as I'm a bees dick under 6'4" and the wife is almost 6' tall. I have thought of redoing it so the fridge is on the floor but like the fact my chairs are easy to get at a moments notice as they live under the shelf.

fair enough.... serviced my prado today and noticed when i was greasing the rear tailshaft that my tailshaft was still hitting the sub tank even after checking out the bash plate but this time it had hit hard enough to break the grease nipple off!!..... so i think i will have to limit the up travel a little witch i was planing in doing after i fit the 285's to stop them hitting the flares!
so to anyone with large amount of flex in the rear check yours out!!

Have you thought of putting a plug in the hole.

I did it and it adds about 2 mins to greasing your shaft.

I haven't ever snapped one off, but thought I'd rather not so plugged the hole.

thats a great idea!!!! i think i might do that... i put a 1inch spacer above the the bump stops and it made little difference to the travel!! so i think ill leave it there and put a plug in the tailshaft!

I came across this write up of fitting a Bodylift to 3rd gen 4runners, because they're the same as 90 series Prado's in every way that counts, I thought I'd post it here, in case someone wants an idea of how to do it.

It details a 1" lift, but has a bit at the end about the extra's involved in fitting larger lifts.

3rd Gen 4Runner Body Lift Installation (http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/Docs/3rdGen4Runner/index.shtml)

Just thought that i would bring this topic back to the top

Lets see some more Prado pics and ideas that eveyone out there has on them....

well since you have brought it up. i have ordered my 1 1/2 inch body lift (cant wait. and also waiting for my IPF spotties to turn up.
here's a link to a youtube vid of where i play. which is the reason for bigger tyres and lift.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo-d5xoNYB0
it doesnt look steep so hear is my mate going up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXPJurQ91YU

im interested to see how your body lift goes!! particuly in outback work!

So Love this thread guys. I had a 105 series cruiser and then I got married and needed something that my wife could drive comfortably so I bought the Prado and at first I was a little cut. But now I love it. Here it is at the snow whre I currently manage a lodge.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1281/1181577973_191877c54d.jpg?v=0

Here it is after a day at newnes.... Good day.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1039/1188108146_018bbbd96f.jpg?v=0

Here's one at fraser just North of the Ngala Rocks. I waited at the entrance whilst two vehicles tried to get unstuck. A guy in a pajero said to me 'mate they'll be diggin for hours, you wanna get em out?' So I said, you'll be right mate you can snatch em out.

After he sunk, I spent around an hour and a half pulling vehicles out so I could get through. I love my Prado.

But the north side was well worth the effort. georgous up there.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1241/1188116336_fd22d36064.jpg?v=0

has any 95series drivers out there replaced the passenger side front diff output shaft seal before??? if so was it difficult?

do you mean the cv shaft? a pic would be good.

Any of you guys do me a favour?

need the measurement between the chassis rails on the current model or 90 series Prado at the rear where the sub tank sits.

Am looking at possibly fitting a sub tank from either model into my hilux.

Cheers.

V6.....hard to measure exactly....and in the dark.....but it is close to 92cm, give or take 1cm. thats from inside chassis rail to other inside rail on a 90 series at the sub tank.
hope this helps.

yes where the cv shaft slots in!

yes where the cv shaft slots in!
iv'e posted it here somewhere before but cant find it. hub has to come out of the way. cv shaft pulls out with a jerk. taking off one of the ball joints takes the longest. DO NOT HIT THE BALL JOINT NUT OR BOLT it has to be shocked off ie: lots of hitting the arm. try this link
Toyota Maintenance: CV Axle Replacement on 3rd Generation 4Runners and Tacomas (http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/cv_axle/)

Thanks FlashOver, thats pretty close to my Hilux's 930mm chassis dimensions. Will now start to look for a sub tank to slot in there.

Thanks again for the help.

Gday all,

I'm new to the forum and thought I'd show a few pics.
2005 4l V6 Prado
extras (so far) - Tinted windows, 240 Lightforce Blitz spotties, 265/65 Cooper ATR's

Cheers,
Wags

11475 11476 11477

nice boat Wags! and Prado!

can someone tell me if they have seen a 90series prado with a ironman bar on it? if so is there any chance you could get me a photo. thanks alot.

You mean like the one the mag took to Tassie?

local opposite lock guy put a winch bar on his 120 series. didnt do alot for me as it doesnt look that strong and has big open spaces underneath unlike the arb one.

I have a question for the guys on here who currently run 33's. if i lift my body 2 inches do you think 35's would fit with out too much hassle or should i just stick with 33's. im starting my new job monday and with that paying more and having a company car i can really get to work on the prado. any feed back would be great.

I'm not sure about whether or not they'll fit but I'd stick with your 33's. IMO the front end on our prado's just isn't built to cope with that much tyre. Unless you did diffs and strengthened all your drive components, you could never really be sure about it's reliability. But, 35's on a prado would be cool....
Sensible answer = don't do it...
Painful answer = get amongst it...

i think you will be doing a fair amont of cutting to fit 35's even with the body lift.. also with the bullbar ironman also make a commercial bar.... black and all steel. I want to see one fitted to a 95series as i can get one at a good price but dont want to get it and not be happy with it!

Well there was a Prado posted on the 90scool forum with 36's, but that was with a 3" BL, they might fit, if you're happy to fork out for them, and the subsequent mods, I say go for it.

3" body lift is big.... i think you might start having trouble braking things in rough off road. i think it would still hit at the back of the front wheel without alot of cutting! but have a go id love to see the outcome!!!

Worst case you might have to extend your bump stops to limit compression, just to stop the wheel tucking up to the point where it grabs the bodywork.

Thought i would bump this thread up again...

I bought a uni filter for the Prado last Friday night and fitted before a run to Casino in NSW. This is a good run, with a bit of flat high speed highway and tight twisty mountain roads crossing the boarder.

Before fitting i was getting 14.1L/100km on the highway, on the 200km run down at night i got 12.2L/100km, on the run back up to Brisbane on Saturday i got 12.5L/100km and then with some running around town averaged out at 13.3L/100km whereas before it would have been sitting close to 15L/100km with city driving.

I haven't done any specific city driving with it in yet to see what difference it makes round town, but definitely noticed the difference on the highway. The Prado also seemed to go better up hill too.:waycool:

Anyways, I'm looking at a snorkel now and also extractors and exhaust to help pull the boat a bit better. I got one quote for $1650 fitted with Pacemaker headers, 2 3/4" aluminised steel + mufflers and cat.

MCFQN,
Im assuming your talkng about the V6 3.4L petrol engine right??

Thats not bad economy, even before the uni filter, my Lux with the same engine averages 16L/100 over the last 2 years in mostly city driving (angry frustated city driving that is!):D

Hi Guys

I've just purchased a 99 RV6 prado and I love it. I went to buy a set of cooper ST's today but noticed that cooper don't make a 265/16/70 series tyre in light truck construction. What I want to know is, would going to a 75 series tyre from a 70 have a noticable effect on gearing (high and low) and speedo calibration? There is a 30mm difference in outside diameter between the 70 and 75 series cooper ST.

Thanks for you help.

Just a post to introduce myself as a new member to those who have chosen to drive the mighty Prado!

Mine is an ex Theiss Mining 2003 TD manual. Apart from a TJM Bar and some nolathane bushes and some sort of aftermarket shockie its pretty much standard. So, it would be safe to say that it is a work in progress.

First up is a suspension lift. My preference is for a 2" (or thereabouts) lift Lovells in front and Lovells HD in rear, controlled by Bilsteins.

I welcome any thoughts on this combination from forum members.

This will be followed by a set of Cooper ST's or Mickey Thompson MTZ's hung on stock 16x7 Prado wheels.

Oh! Best thing I ever did was have the front end properly aligned by Pro Axle at Narellan NSW. Thanks guys!

Over to the Forum........

MCFQN,
Im assuming your talkng about the V6 3.4L petrol engine right??

Thats not bad economy, even before the uni filter, my Lux with the same engine averages 16L/100 over the last 2 years in mostly city driving (angry frustated city driving that is!):D


yeah mate, 3.4 V6. when it was standard with 265 70 16's and stock suspension i was getting 12's on the highway, 14s round town.

when i hook the boat up though, its around 18 - 20L/100km and in really soft sand about 20 as well.

when i give it some at the lights to keep up with the ricers she drinks a bit so i know what you mean about frustrated city driving!!! :thumb:

Just a post to introduce myself as a new member to those who have chosen to drive the mighty Prado!

Mine is an ex Theiss Mining 2003 TD manual. Apart from a TJM Bar and some nolathane bushes and some sort of aftermarket shockie its pretty much standard. So, it would be safe to say that it is a work in progress.

First up is a suspension lift. My preference is for a 2" (or thereabouts) lift Lovells in front and Lovells HD in rear, controlled by Bilsteins.

I welcome any thoughts on this combination from forum members.

This will be followed by a set of Cooper ST's or Mickey Thompson MTZ's hung on stock 16x7 Prado wheels.

Oh! Best thing I ever did was have the front end properly aligned by Pro Axle at Narellan NSW. Thanks guys!

Over to the Forum........

mate sounds like you have a great truck there with heaps of potential!

you can't go wrong with the bilsteins. I have them mated to King springs and the ride is superb. the wheel travel i get is great as well. i need to get some pics of the wheels at all angles!!

in terms of tyres, well this is a can of worms :D i chose mickey thompson MTX tyres for a few reasons - i liked the look of the tread, the reputation that MT had, the fact it WASN'T BFG or cooper and was different to what everyone else had, plus the price was good too. The MTZs are getting some good reviews lately but really depends on where you want to go and how ofter you want to go there.

Hi Guys

I've just purchased a 99 RV6 prado and I love it. I went to buy a set of cooper ST's today but noticed that cooper don't make a 265/16/70 series tyre in light truck construction. What I want to know is, would going to a 75 series tyre from a 70 have a noticable effect on gearing (high and low) and speedo calibration? There is a 30mm difference in outside diameter between the 70 and 75 series cooper ST.

Thanks for you help.


there is an increase of about 3.4% by changing up to the 265 75 16s. This means your speedo and odo will be out by 3.4%. by changing up in size you get a whole lot more choice of tyres, plus you also can get LT constructions which are better suited to 4WDriving that passenger tyre construction.

in terms of gearing, yeah there is a little difference, mainly when my auto changes up and down, and it holds the gears a bit longer while towing. but for the sake of LT construction and a little more clearance under the vehicle i think it is worth it!!

Actually, the increase in tyre size brings the speedo and odometer to read correct. I checked mine with a number of GPS units and now the speedo is spot on. Apparently there is an error in it with the original Grand Yuck tyres.

Regards
D.T.

Actually, the increase in tyre size brings the speedo and odometer to read correct. I checked mine with a number of GPS units and now the speedo is spot on. Apparently there is an error in it with the original Grand Yuck tyres.

Regards
D.T.


Wether it is a fault or not. But when i fitted 265/75R16's to my Prado, the speedo and odometer seem to be far more accurate aswell, going off road side marker checks and those "speed check" signs at roadworks.

MCFQM, Thanks mate. MTX's are they more for highway 60% and dirt 40%?

actually mate they are 80% road & sand 20% dirt & mud. here is a link to MT website with their different tyres: Mickey Thompson - World's Toughest Traction Tyres! (http://www.mickeythompsontires.com.au/tyres.htm)

you will notice roothy gives his thoughts on the MTX tyres when he had them on milo. probably biased, but a good read anyway. ;)

Well about time I started looking in here a little more. I am in the process of hunting down a 120 GXL petrol for the wife from today. Anything I should know when looking, I know a little about them but from past experience I have found owners normally know more :D

Also on the MTX tyres my old boss runs them and cant rate them highly enough he says compared to his BFG ATs and the Cooper STs he has had they are great. My MTZs on my lux are imo a great tyre also.

WIth the 120's you have to look out for body Stress fractures in the engine bay. Not to sure what else.

Andy

i love my Prado more than chocolate:p

i've had landrovers ( they should come with there own mechanic:cry: )
a pajero......dark period my life...filled with shame:(

but now i've got a Prado....getaway model 98:D

it's soooooooooooo good...on and off road:thumb:

i'll post some pics soon......there the best 4wd in the world!!!!

p.s just book in too covert it too lpg.....with the 2 grand goverment cash-back it only cost me $500

BARGAIN:confused:

here are some pictures of my rear storage...home made cost all up about $200

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v678/4wdaddict/Dsc_0002-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v678/4wdaddict/Dsc_0001.jpg

.....nice rigs by the wayhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v678/4wdaddict/smiley24_shades.gif

Andy B, boof and mcfqn,

Thanks for the tips guys. Looks like I'll have to take a very close look at the Micket T's.

On another note i'm after some 16" x 7" Prado steel wheels so I can set them up with a set of off road tyres for those occasions that See me heading out of Sydney to "test" the Prado's features.

Obviously they would have to be within an hour's drive of Western Sydney.

Look for my post in the wanted pages.

Cheers guys!

Hux

WIth the 120's you have to look out for body Stress fractures in the engine bay. Not to sure what else.

Andy
Yea, the 120 prados have the same problems as the FJ Cruisers, body cracking at the front end which should be seen when you look inside the engine bay, although if you find one in the city i'm sure it won't of been worked too hard (so far it appears it only happens offroad when the chassis twists).
The cracking on the prados seems to be alot less, but i think thats just because alot less 120s go offroad compared to FJCs
These are one of my favorite cars, just too expensive for me. =(

hey steve75.....that is awsome set up your made there:thumb:

better than a pro kit out

his a shot of my pride and joy

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n19/fong_02/IMGP0463.jpg

p.s just wondering if anyones sleep in there pradio much....?

with the back seats down i recken i could throw a foam mattress in the back?

thanks..it works a treat,much easier to pack now

as for sleeping in the back...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v678/4wdaddict/Dsc_0032c.jpg

yer sleeping in the back is great, I often borrow the oldgirls 95 series and take all seats out bar the front 2 and it fits a double mattress perfectly, only think is it gets a bit steamy in ther without leaving the windows open (especially if ur a young bloke like me with a crazy mrs ;) )

I've got a self inflating mattress that fits perfectly over the folded flat seats in places where I couldn't be bothered setting up a tent, or at stockton, where a lack of sand pegs stops me from using my tent.

i swag it or tent it due to the 60engel in the rear and there is two of us!

I wouldn't sleep in my mates Prado, you'd get devoured by cockies.

Has anyone tried those Rancho quick struts or quick lift things yet? Looking at getting em for the old mate as he wants a bit of lift.

i havent. but i am also very interested in finding out what other people think

well despite not having steve 75 ULTIMATE fit out ( i'd go around oz in that :thumb: )

i'll be throwing the foam in the back mine end this month....i normally tent it....but going on a south coast surf seeking mission and don't want base meself anywhere;)

p.s has anyone else had there prado recalled for a back axil fault?

i got a letter from toyota and book it in local dealership...all replaced free charge:D

not sure what models it effects ( obviously mine...98 getaway)

but just a heads up other prado owners....if toyota hasn't u address it mightn't hurt ring u local dealership and see if your on the recall list?

edit..just found the letter "advise certain prado 95 serius vechicles the axle shaft may fracture and the axle shaft flange and wheel assembly may seperate from shaft"

wateva that means...kinda sounds like my sex life.....

also get em check u back pads....got mine replaced at same time and didn't have pay labour cause they had it all apart anyways

ours was done last year before we brought it... ours is a 97 model

Had mine done last year too, also a '97

Never got a straight answer as to whether or not mine was part of the ball joint recall, but I'm sure it would have fallen apart by now if it was :)

My mate has a 2000 model (RV with skinny tyres) so might not be effected.

Do you fellas know if the shock absorber is inserted in the front strut or do you have to buy a complete strut as I find the prado shocks are expensive.

you can seperate the front coil and shock/strut. the shocks have a base plate on them where the bottem of coil sits.

But even if you reuse the stock coil on a new shock, it'll still be more expensive than a non coilover shock, that's just the way it is :(

lov prados driv it even (in the bush) AND IM ONLY 12

But even if you reuse the stock coil on a new shock, it'll still be more expensive than a non coilover shock, that's just the way it is :(

Depends on the brand. Ironman ones are about the same price for the front as they are for the back.

cool, didn't know that, Ironman didn't have them out when I was researching suspension options, good to know.

Extractors were supplied by Wildcat which is the backend of the Genie factory. Exhaust is a mandrel bent straight through system with a pacemaker muffler. Total system cost $1500.00.


http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q130/Playdo98/DynoRun-KWNm.jpg
Playdo98,

I also have installed a set of Wildcat extractors but have also installed a Unichip which has given me another 17Kw on top of the numbers in your graph above. Makes a big difference and I now have a nice note singing from my exhaust to boot. I've also installed a custom heavy duty clutch to take the extra pressure (I was up for a new clutch anyway).

Here's a link to more info on the Unichip (remember, its not just deisels that can be chipped) - Unichip ECU (http://www.airpowersystems.com/unichip/unichip.htm)

Gooster:)

well that is interesting!! Gooster, how much for the uni chip if you don't mind me asking??

has you economy suffered since chipping?

thanks mate.

Just a quick question for all of you Prado fanciers. My rear door rattles over speed bumps and rough roads. I have never towed anything with it as I heard this can affect the rear door. I do have a 265-75-16 BFG slung on the back which does weigh a bit more than the standard pizza cutter.

(Q) Has anyone else had this problem or know anything about fixing it?

its probley needs adjusting or new hingers... theyn are well known for the wheel weight to wear out the hingers due to the weight!

dad parks his prado outside chemist and goes inside with son....

standing to be served young son spots packet two condoms on shelf

"dad...what are they for" saids son

dad:o thinks quick " there for hi lux owners son.....one for friday night...one for saturday night"

son points packet of FOUR condoms..."what are they for dad"

"son there for prado owners....two for friday night...two for saturday night!":D

sons on a roll....points too the big box of twelve condoms...."what about the big box dad.....whats the big box for?" he asks

"ahhh.....son...there for patrol owners...1 for january....1 for feburary....:crazy:

not bad

Well I found a Prado in good nick and got a good trade for the wifes car so did the deal and picked it up last night.
Seems to be a nice car I prefer the power of the Lexus but still it gets along quite well and will make a great tourer.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/mg_ellis1/8473758.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/mg_ellis1/8473759.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/mg_ellis1/cruiserpark028res.jpg

Have a few slight mods planned but nothing major and have a feeling itll be a while before it gets some pics of it dirty.

you will have to somthing with it soon as it will look out of place sitting next to the hilux!
nice prado

Nice car, Boof.

Hate to get a scratch on it though as it looks shiny as.

wifes car



http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/mg_ellis1/cruiserpark028res.jpg

.

jezze...thats a heavy duty wind screen u got there....sure wasn't a armaguard van b4 u got it:D

lovely car mate....wat model?

also Your kicked off the great prado/girlfriend/wife debate:mad:

it seems when eva a bloke buys a prado....somehow it is for eva after referred too as "her car" :crazy:

never had that trouble with the landrover or pajero;)

lets face facts....CHICKS DIG PRADOS:waycool:

Hi Gooster. I certainly love the sound of the new exhaust. Re, the cluth. I blew my clutch on the first serious 4wd outing after installing the exhaust. Headed to Byfield National Park for a play in the sand and after nearly conquiring a few mammoth dunes, an unmistakable smell of a cluth that is about to S*&t itself reared it's ugly head. To cut a long story short, the clutch distroyed itself, needed 3 tow vehicles stached together to pull us half way up the track through the dunes + about 8hrs of continous winching to get us back to camp. Must say that we learned lost about winching that night!!!!!! :) To make matters worse we had to change 5 tyres which had rolled off their rims. Only saving grace was a mates new National Luna fridge which provided an endless supply of cold beer during the operation :) We ended up getting towed back to Rocky and installed a H/D Excedy cluth (emphasis on the H/D)

Just wondering how much Chip cost? I have been looking a put one in also. Was there a lot of tuning involved or is just a plug in and forget?

you will have to somthing with it soon as it will look out of place sitting next to the hilux!
nice prado

Nah just a few subtle mods at least till it becomes my daily driver :D

Nice car, Boof.

Hate to get a scratch on it though as it looks shiny as.

I dont think I will be allowed to drive it anwhere that can actually scratch it :(

Well I finally got the keys to the Prado yesterday. We had to drive up to Yandina for the Little fellas BMX and I have to admit I love the thing. Its so nice and easy to drive. It seriously makes me think I should sell the Lux and take the Prado off the wife :D Although once I drive the Lux again I will no doubt change my mind.

But for a tourer and light offroad work I reckon I could be very happy with it as a daily driver makes me wonder why I bothered trying to set up the Lux for touring :(

that was the same when i went from my 75series to the prado. i love my ute but there is no comparason(spelling) for comfort! in most cases its as good or sometimes better offroad! just wish we could have afforded a diesel! ah well!

yep diesel Prado's are $$$$$$:cry:

i'm hoping my conversion too lpg will work out for me.....starting get cold feet...but it's got be a winner the way petrol prices are up here ( fill up today $1.36 ltr:cry: )

anyway.....check this out- Motors - Executive Style Home - smh.com.au (http://www.smh.com.au/news/motors/toyota-landcruiser-tops-100k/2007/10/16/1192300754567.htmll)

new land cruisers set cost more than 100 k SHhhhiver me timbers:D

bet old u crew in ya trusted and loved 60 series are laughing.....most likely just added a grand or two too ya resale value;)

Our new one, 3 weeks old. I'm like you boof, its the wifes car! This is its first run with the stubby lever locked in low! Only a 1000k on the clock....
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb240/KUSTOMV840/Prado.jpg

Yep its a pain not being able to use it I would love to see how it goes. I have had it in low in the back yard to make sure there were no transfer case noises but that is it.

I reckon with dual lockers and decent tyres itd be quite capable for most situations and then just need an older one for the hardcore stuff. How did it go on the beach I am fitting ERPS to ours but Mel has said that the Lux can do the beach not her car.

Yep its a pain not being able to use it I would love to see how it goes. I have had it in low in the back yard to make sure there were no transfer case noises but that is it.

I reckon with dual lockers and decent tyres itd be quite capable for most situations and then just need an older one for the hardcore stuff. How did it go on the beach I am fitting ERPS to ours but Mel has said that the Lux can do the beach not her car.
Went great on the beach, it was almost high tide so soft sand for about 10 km up the beach, plus the powder getting from diggers road to wooli beach at wilsons headland. I was only running 20psi in the tyres and went quite well. I would go a little lower but my "snap-on" guage doesnt read lower than 20. With that I went and got the staun deflators and an ARB guage.
I havent rust proofed ours yet, have to do it soon I suppose since it will get a bit of beach work with the family.

the curse of owning a prado is arguing with the girly over who gets too drive it!!!!!

i think because there not quite as big as cruiser there not intimidated...my wife has really enjoyed getting the car into some shitty tracks.....where b4 she'd want nothing do with it.

mine rocks on the beach.......really even bother letting the tyres down now.....the v6 gives it plenty kick , only eva had trouble on exits....and that particular exit can bog anyone....

'

mine rocks on the beach.......really even bother letting the tyres down now.....the v6 gives it plenty kick , only eva had trouble on exits....and that particular exit can bog anyone....
I live in WA, and watched a bloke go around me on the beach just before a pretty well known sand dune...without letting air out of his tyres. Fair play to him he made it...but I could have killed him for tearing up the track like that. Took me 6 goes to get up after him, he was lucky he had a good head-start on me.

the curse of owning a prado is arguing with the girly over who gets too drive it!!!!!
'

I packed it, I'm driving it. Stop arguing with me or ya'll walk!

Try that :waycool: No guarantees it'll work.

I'm looking at putting 17" alloys on the camper trailer to match the prads (for extra spares e.t.c). Anyone know where u can get some at a reasonable price (unlike $500 per original rim from a wrecker) or any other rims that look similar.

Cheers

Ryano at Fourbys can organise 17" sunnies for you if you need them.

Boof just a quick one as you are now a prado owner like me can you have a look in your radio instruction manual and tell me how to change the clock on the stereo as i lost my manual and bloody daylight savings has started

Boof just a quick one as you are now a prado owner like me can you have a look in your radio instruction manual and tell me how to change the clock on the stereo as i lost my manual and bloody daylight savings has started

Hehehe no worries mate I will do it tonight and PM you :drink:

had a talk to an engineer last night about getting the prado engineered with 1" body lift, tyres, and suspension lift. he said the largest tyres i was allowed to go were 33's(285/75R16) he said 1" body lift should be fine using polyurerthane thats the right denserdy(spelling) and high tensile bolts with a letter for the engineer who made them saying they would be suitable for the job. the total lift i was allowed to have with tyres, suspension, and body lift was to be about 140mm. i also need to check if i have widened the track more than 50mm. Also it is going to cost around $500 to set up a file for legal reasions, and $150 for the cert at the end, if there are no problems! note i am in victoria.

can i just pick my fellow prado owners brains?

saves starting a new thread:)

i've never had a car with air con b4:confused:

do u need to get it serviced regularly or do u just wait till it stop working

mines good now.....i just got know idea :o

Hey mate no maintenance required that I am aware of for A/C systems :thumb:

Well I have them in the members thread but thought I would put them up here. 50mm lift and 265/70/17 STTs also added dual batteries and electronic rust protection.:D

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/mg_ellis1/31102007022res.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/mg_ellis1/IMG_4619res.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a181/mg_ellis1/IMG_4624res.jpg

no serviceing required just need to turn it on once a week or so to curiculate(spelling) the fluid so it lubs the seals!
looking good boof!

Looks great with the lift BOOF, what did you use? Old Man Emu?? Looking at lifting mine in the new yr... Also what was the make of those tail lights you put in the tray of your Lux?

Cheers for the comments guys its Bilstein shocks with King Springs. The tail lights in the Lux are Hellas ADR approved and were around $40 each :thumb:

Cheers BOOF, I'm just on your turtle thread atm. Going to be fun by the sound of it.

No worries mate, and yeh I thought I would hate starting from scratch again but to be honest I am enjoying planning out another build. :D

Hi guys

I'm a newbie on this site and thread and hope I'm doing the right thing with this post.

I'm the lucky owner of a current model new VX Prado after having 3 Pajeros over the last 20 odd years. I got tired of the rattles on dirt roads - the journos call it NVH - noise, vibration, harshness. Love the huge fuel tank and diesel engine etc

Anyhow my question if I may - I went to Toyota (Motorama Beaudesert Rd Rocklea) looking to buy a workshop manual - wanted more technical detail than the quite good owners manual has. They tried to sell me a hard copy manual for $26 - good deal I thought until I realised it was for the old KZ engine not the new KDV diesel. Left it with them for a few days and they rang back today.

There is no hard copy manual yet only a CD which they won't sell me in any case. They gave me the part number, told me there was a "sales stop" on it and suggested I ring the customer service number.

The reason I want it is so I don't accidentally blow my head off with an air bag when I'm messing around. I've done a dual battery system, UHF install and reversing camera install by myself so far without incident but I'm keen to know a bit before I go any further.

Anyone had a better experience yet?

Has anyone mounted a compressor in their Prado, if so where? I have the new arb compressor and am wondering where I am going to mount it in my current model Prado. I have looked at mounting it on the left hand skirt but it would be a tight fit and alot of mucking around. I have heard the get put under the front seat alot.. Anyone else got ideas or experience??

Cheers, Kustom.

Like you I reckon the small one under the bonnet is tha way to go. I have had the large one and its useless at blowing up tyres etc so I think a dedicated one under the bonnet is the way to go. I have been in vehicles with them in the cab and personally I would not do it.

Cheers Boof. Will have to make a seperate mounting bracket for it first to make it fit under the bonnet. There is not much room under the current shape prado once the 2nd batt goes in.

Kustom

Don't know about the 120 series but on the 95 series GXL I fitted mine in front of the brake booster cylinder using an aluminum plate to fix it to. Good luck on that.

Regards
D.T.

All,
new to the forum so it's great to see what others have done and are attempting to do. My '98 GXL petrol auto is about to get some more 'treatment' done is the suspension ridepro OK and lifted the 40mm as promised, however, the surface of the shocks is shocking, peeling paint and chipped not very happy with that. Springs are good though.

New brakes all round, and the rear axle recall complete,
other than that not a lot.

So questions for many.
Anyone recommend an exhaust place in Perth? I'd like to put the Wild cat headers on and a full flow system

Suspension any recommends for new shocks I'm thinking of Bilsteins and new bushings all round.
The total Chaos upper control mounts are interesting may pursue this one.

Anyway anyone feel the need to reply will be appreciated

Steve

Bilsteins are a really good choice, they go great with King's springs (like Boof did, above). The rear shocks will probably need stone guards to avoid the chipping, and risk of dents, being monotube shocks your supplier should sell you some anyway.

The Total Chaos UCA's however, would be a waste of money, unless you get coilover's designed to work with the extra travel (Sway-A-Way, or DR).

taresk
thanks for the comments i was looking more at long term strength than flex. while I've got you here, the throttle body spacer you have fitted, did you need to adjust the cables or did they all shift with the throttle body? I take you have seen some benifits from the spacer? Also seems easy enough to fit and with the current exchange rate good value. Anyfurther hints for performance would be great, I drove a supercharged GXl a cuple of years ago and that was great although this is the costliest way for thos extra gains.

Steve.p

The spacer comes with all brackets needed to relocate everything, a really good kit overall.

Although to be honest the change I got with the spacer and the intake tube was a small one, it seems (seat of pants testing) to have improved the off idle response, and tourque, and the intake tube has given the engine a nice grumble when accelerating :D

To get the most out of them you need to improve the exhaust, and have the engine retuned to allow for the increased flow. I haven't done this yet, but it's on my list. I have been told by people who had the exhaust and programmable chip already installed prior to the intake mods, that they do make quite an improvement (there's always a catch, lol).

That said the overall cost of Airaid gear, Engine chip (ie: Unichip), and high-flow exhaust, would still be around half the cost of a Supercharger, so it remains the cheap option.

Like you I reckon the small one under the bonnet is tha way to go. I have had the large one and its useless at blowing up tyres etc so I think a dedicated one under the bonnet is the way to go. I have been in vehicles with them in the cab and personally I would not do it.

What wrong with them under the seat boof? (the mrs loves it) lol. Are use talking about dedicated tyre inflating compressors or one for engaging lockers also? I hav my ARB airlocker compressor mounted between my back seat and rear draws (perfect fit, nice and quiet ther and out of the way). Its only on for a few seconds so no risk of over heating but ud want to fold the seat forward for ventilation if using a tyre inflating unit here. IMO underbonnet mounting is risky, the state that my engine bay comes home like sumtimes I wudnt want a compressor anywhere near it, plus its a hot/dusty environment even if u dont hit the mud. Then again they r gettin pretty good with sealing new compressors so its probably all good. Cheers

Let me know what your thoughts are:

I own a 2003 GXL Turbo Diesel, which has a ARB Bullbar with a Warn XP9500 winch, Safari Snorkel, 2inch suspension lift - Kings springs with Bilstein shocks, Front & Rear Locker, Homemade - rear drawer set, barrier, Alloy roof rack- Sat Phone, I-Com Uhf CB (in O/H console), Touchscreen CAR-Pc running GPS software, solarpower for the beer fridge (WAECO 40L x2) and extended stays and 60 L water tank.

I use this vehicle as a tourer and everyday use

I am about to make a twin rear wheel carrier and new side steps and fit a H/F radio.

:D Great compact tourer

sounds good, I like the prado's. do You have a pic of your overhead console? Id be interrested to see it and know what brand it is? thanks

Robb

What wrong with them under the seat boof? (the mrs loves it) lol. Are use talking about dedicated tyre inflating compressors or one for engaging lockers also? I hav my ARB airlocker compressor mounted between my back seat and rear draws (perfect fit, nice and quiet ther and out of the way). Its only on for a few seconds so no risk of over heating but ud want to fold the seat forward for ventilation if using a tyre inflating unit here. IMO underbonnet mounting is risky, the state that my engine bay comes home like sumtimes I wudnt want a compressor anywhere near it, plus its a hot/dusty environment even if u dont hit the mud. Then again they r gettin pretty good with sealing new compressors so its probably all good. Cheers

They are noisy for one generate heat for two and thirdly emitt smells even when the exhaust kit is set up. My last ARB compressor lasted 6 years under the bonnet thats good enough for me.

Let me know what your thoughts are:

I own a 2003 GXL Turbo Diesel, which has a ARB Bullbar with a Warn XP9500 winch, Safari Snorkel, 2inch suspension lift - Kings springs with Bilstein shocks, Front & Rear Locker, Homemade - rear drawer set, barrier, Alloy roof rack- Sat Phone, I-Com Uhf CB (in O/H console), Touchscreen CAR-Pc running GPS software, solarpower for the beer fridge (WAECO 40L x2) and extended stays and 60 L water tank.

I use this vehicle as a tourer and everyday use

I am about to make a twin rear wheel carrier and new side steps and fit a H/F radio.

:D Great compact tourer

Nice Prado sounds damn well wet up you got any more pics

Let me know what your thoughts are:

I own a 2003 GXL Turbo Diesel, which has a ARB Bullbar with a Warn XP9500 winch, Safari Snorkel, 2inch suspension lift - Kings springs with Bilstein shocks, Front & Rear Locker, Homemade - rear drawer set, barrier, Alloy roof rack- Sat Phone, I-Com Uhf CB (in O/H console), Touchscreen CAR-Pc running GPS software, solarpower for the beer fridge (WAECO 40L x2) and extended stays and 60 L water tank.

I use this vehicle as a tourer and everyday use

I am about to make a twin rear wheel carrier and new side steps and fit a H/F radio.

:D Great compact tourer
Nice Truck mate, just got one myself same colour and all. Yet to put all the stuff on it. I would also love to see a pic of your overhead console and what brand.

Cheers,
Kustom

Let me know what your thoughts are:

I own a 2003 GXL Turbo Diesel, which has a ARB Bullbar with a Warn XP9500 winch, Safari Snorkel, 2inch suspension lift - Kings springs with Bilstein shocks, Front & Rear Locker, Homemade - rear drawer set, barrier, Alloy roof rack- Sat Phone, I-Com Uhf CB (in O/H console), Touchscreen CAR-Pc running GPS software, solarpower for the beer fridge (WAECO 40L x2) and extended stays and 60 L water tank.

I use this vehicle as a tourer and everyday use

I am about to make a twin rear wheel carrier and new side steps and fit a H/F radio.

:D Great compact tourer

Sounds like it's well set up. You got any more pictures of the insides. I got a 2006 that's heading in the same direction.
Anyone know if you can get yellow coloured globes to put into the standard driving lights in the soverign bar, to convert them into fog lamps. As the front of the prado hasn't much room with the rallye 4000's and winch control unit to mount some foggies.

Anyone know if you can get yellow coloured globes to put into the standard driving lights in the soverign bar, to convert them into fog lamps. As the front of the prado hasn't much room with the rallye 4000's and winch control unit to mount some foggies.

Imotorgear.com specializes in selling SKU: 13555 - Lighting - Bulbs - PIAA Bulbs USA - PIAA H3 Ion Crystal 55W=85W (si