Noob Looking for BEST off-road shop in So Cal

[Bonked]

Hi everyone. I am really impressed by the wealth of knowledge on this site, so surely some have opinions on Shops who perform/specialize in Toyota off-road suspension in Southern California. I am located in Riverside county, CA. I'm new to off-roading and 4Runners, so it'd be nice to have a reputable shop to rely on. Also, any off-roading clubs in my area?

Many thanks!
Bonked
'98 4runner SR5 4x4
Stock...for now!

[Seanz0rz]

welcome to ultimate yota! my name is Sean, its nice to have another socal guy here!

not really any clubs to speak of, but us socal people are all pretty close and look out for one another. formal clubs have far too many rules, dues, etc for my liking.

as for good offroad shops, i have no personal experience with any. all of my mods get done by me! if you need help with your 98, i would be glad to lend you a hand! some shops that do toyota stuff: pomona gear and axle, demello offroad, and yotamasters. what did you have in mind for your 4runner?

oh and

[Good Times]

Welcome to UY!

Since you're from Riverside you're in the middle of the offroading hub in socal. There's so many great shops to name you're better off just telling us what you want to do and we'll direct ya accordingly

[Bonked]

Sean--

I want to build an expedition-type rig vs. a rock crawler (although I've been drawn-in to that by my many a good thread on this forum! First-up is an ARB rear locker (probably will get before the free-compressor promo is up 4/15/10). I'll have to get the locker installed but plan on doing the compressor & plumbing myself. My rear end bottoms out, so I imagine I need some springs, I've got 3 different wrangler styles of tires on there...same size 265/75/16 (Just bought that way two weeks ago). I am not immediately interested in a lift, but I do like the 255/85/16 option for tires. I'd probably need a lift and 4:88 gears--all more than I want to get into until a year or so.

For now, I want to get my 4unner prepped to hit some trails with confidence...oh, i guess skid plates and sliders are on the list....I can see where this hobby is headin'!

Here's a few pics. The running boards and chrome wheel strips are gone!

My first mod: replaced electrical-taped steering wheel for a "new" wheel and airbag i got from a salvage-yard limited (got the whole leather interior i plan on putting in as soon as I can figure out the power/heated seat wiring!)

[Bonked]

I'll figure out how to post pics soon enough:

[Bonked]

How do i put more than one photo in a thread at a time?

[L33T35T Tacoma]

Hey Bonked. My name is Jason. Welcome! Looks like you have a perfect rig to get yourself in some serious $$$$ problems. If you've ever thought to yourself "man I have too much money" well you've found the sport that will take care of that!

What are you doing this saturday? I'm in the mood to hit up cleghorn Ridge if you want to try it out. It's an easy trail with some hard parts which have bypasses if you arent comfortable. It's a great first timer trail. Let me know! Here's a link to the location here!

[Bob98SR5]

bonked,

welcome to the forum. i see we have nearly the same truck check out my site at 4runners.org to get some good tutorials under your belt, esp regards to maintenance and easy mods.

i would not go out and spend a bunch of money just yet. ask away, do your homework, and you might meet people out here that will advise/help you. go on a few runs, get a feel for what you want in terms of your build up.

im a UCR grad, so familiar with the area...but that was...oh, i dont want to admit how long ago

[Scuba]

Cleghorn ridge would be the perfect place for you to get out and get addicted to wheelin..

As for clubs or groups, I've been rolling with the "SoCal TTORA" crew for a little while, most of them are great guys that aren't afraid to share their knowledge..
http://ttora.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=206
Stay tuned to that ^^ as we should have some runs coming soon..

Welcome to UY !!

[Seanz0rz]

glad to hear you are aiming for an expedition type vehicle. thats the plan for mine, although i dont get out as much as i would like!

for your rear suspension, id recommend putting in airbags until you lift it. they are inexpensive (40 bucks) and keep the rear end from hitting the bumpstops constantly.

as for gears and a locker: i would buy that arb now, and save up for some gears in the ratio of your choice. i would have all that installed when you get larger tires with a lift. to me it makes no sense to install a locker and then a year later regear. you would be amazed at what your vehicle is capable of in its stock form

for photos, get yourself a photobucket account and post them there, then copy paste the [ img ] tagged address here.