What is the best modifications for a first gen tacoma

I have a 1998 toyota tacoma single cab, Ive been wondering what are some of the best products/modifications for my truck hear is what ive been thinking so far:

allpro baja series front bumper
trail gear rock defence rear bumper
light bars
winch
alot of recovery gear (collapsable shovel,maxtracts, ect.)
arb safari snorkel

feel free to leave sugestions of gear/modifications

 

Is it a 4X4?

 

That really all depends on the type of driving you do, your driving/adventure style, and the conditions you drive in. Also your budget, lol...

First on your list is simply more seat time, maybe a decent set of tires, and a first aid kit.

Half that stuff on your list honestly isn't "necessary" for the vast majority of people unless you're looking for instagram clicks.

I see plenty of people with a shiny new hi-lift mounted prominently on their overlander bed rack, but no sliders or aftermarket bumpers to use it on. The thought of someone using a hi-lift on their stock plastic bumper entertains me a lot, lol.

I would focus more on recovery/safety gear, then amor (sliders and skids) before all the cool looking stuff. Probably skids first, especially something that covers the transmission.

Don't just go buy "alot of recovery gear" when you probably don't really know what it is or how to use it safely. A tow strap and some D rings are cool, but useless if you're on your own. A hi-lift can be extremely dangerous if misused. Synthetic winch lines and shaft shackles are cool, but equally as dangerous as their steel counterparts when misused.

 

Lemme stop you right there with the arb snorkel
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-design-ebay-snorkel.573571/

 

On a 1st Gen Tacoma I had an extra leaf added to the back springs to stiffen it up for carrying camping gear for long trips. We have done at least 3, 10 night trips in the Maze District of Canyonlands NP where you need 18 gallons of extra gas and at least 20 gallons of water and typically dry ice and regular coolers. This was an excellent mod to keep the rear axles off of the rubber bumpers when fully loaded.

Wheels & larger diameter tires might be a good modification depending on what you want to do with the truck.

A mild lift (say 2") might be a nice modification but I have not done research around this and you would want to proceed carefully.

My current Tacoma has an ARB compressor mounted which makes it a lot more convenient to deflate and pump up tires which helps a bunch on trails. Any good quality compressor would be a nice addition and there is nothing wrong with just carrying it loose to use when required.

If you are going to ford any deep water you might consider routing all of your gear box breathers to a high point above high water. ARB makes a kit for this but you can build it out of parts.

If you ever need it a roll bar or cage would probably be greatly appreciated.

Real rock sliders (structurally connected to the frame) do offer excellent points to use a high lift jack but you still need to be very cautious in working around a suspended vehicle. I also use the high lift jack on the sliders to level the vehicle side to side for sleeping in the bed in the back country.

Recovery points are also critical. They may come with your bumpers but if not it is something to think about.

 

ok so... i forgot to list what i inherited with the truck and what i have bought in the 5 months that i have owned it. I have first aid kits and the truck has a 2 inch lift with bigger tires. and yes it is 4x4. i also have put a CB radio in it as well. I intend it to be a capable offroader/touring rig.

Questions:
if a high lift jack is dangerous is a bottle jack a better option?

what type of recovery gear do you recomend that is safe and will get the job done safly?

is this cheeper snorkel reliable?

 

Driver mod is the best mod.

 

The safest recovery gear is the stuff you know how to use.

A hi-lift is only dangerous if not used properly. It's an extremely versatile tool that can be used for a lot of different things, not just changing a tire. Bottle jacks are great for changing tires in many situations, but you can't always use one, and if you need to jack the frame/body up for whatever reason, they're useless. There are some accessories you can get for a hi-lift, that attach to the wheel which help, or attach to your sliders or a bumper to make it safer (in many cases). There are lots of threads where people insist that one or the other (or a hydro floor jack) is THE jack to have. They're all wrong, lol. There is no ONE jack that is universal or the "safest".


As for the snorkel, I was honestly skeptical at first (there's a whole thread about it), but several of those guys have had them a while now, and they seem to be holding up just fine.

 

alright i will look into it.....how about in cab modifications like

is this snorkel able to fit 2.4L as well

 

For in cab modifications, I always like getting a new head unit and door speakers if you're still rocking the OEM. Add an amp and a sub if you're a basshead. Put some sound deadening material in the door cavities while you have the panels off. Replacing the map lights with LEDs was a nice upgrade because I was finally able to unload my truck in the dark. The seats in these trucks are kind of rough IMO, so new seats is the ultimate in cab upgrade.

 

I recently saw someone pound the rod of the hilift into the ground and use it as a land anchor for his winch in muuuud.
Was impressed

And to answer the OP. V8 swap or tuuuurbo

 

FR & RR lockers and tacobox

 

That's a good one, hadn't seen that before!

 

Get caught up on your maintenance. Nothing worse than blowing the budget on fun stuff only to be downed with a break down. I would cover the basics and go from there.

 

Surely you mean 2.7, and yes

 

Well thats the other thing.....im currently trying to solve a misfire on cylinder four (my truck is a 2.4L) ive replaced the plugs and that helped alot,but it did not fix the problem. it still misfires every so often and after idling for about 1 min it start to misfire again...But yes im not buying any modifications until all the maitnence has been done to it

 

Add 35's and you got a winning combo.

 

6 lug

 

coil packs?

 

No one in the history of anything has anyone ever swapped a 2.4L into a 6 lug. If they have, they should be beaten with a hose.

He likely just misspoke and didn't realize there are 2 different 4cyls for the 5 and 6 lugs. Simple mistake for the non-initiated.