What Did You Do To Your 3rd Gen Today?

marcus clarkus · Sep 21, 2017

phattyduck said:
Somebody did a little cap instead of the whole mudflap, though I don't think they are selling them anymore. That would probably be a better seller (stay out of the way of sliders, not get caught on rocks, but fill in that bottom few inches of the flare).

-Charlie

Yeah I think I might take that route. Good point about the sliders

2ndhandyotaman said:
Just curious which modeling software you use? I'm a Solidworks user and occasionally use CATIA.

I've been lucky and have been able to get by with only using Solidworks ever since I learned it in high school (through all of my college internships, my first engineering job, and now onto my 2nd). I have a friend working at Dewalt and he said they use CATIA and it's pain.

StreetCreeper · Sep 21, 2017

Nothing fancy or extravagant — sometimes it's just the little things like replacing your mirror adjuster switchy–thingy for a nice minty-fresh one you plucked from the junkyard.

Pice by piece I'm rebuilding her back to new...er.

Wikano · Sep 21, 2017

Just making my 20 year old black paint into a mirror with a little bit of detailing over the weekend... and yes, my fender is f'd up:wacko:

CRB Racing · Sep 21, 2017

Wikano said:
Just making my 20 year old black paint into a mirror with a little bit of detailing over the weekend... and yes, my fender is f'd up:wacko:

You can't post pics like that and not share what polish you used! LoL

octanejunkie · Sep 21, 2017

CRB Racing said:
You can't post pics like that and not share what polish you used! LoL

The black bottle behind him in the first pic, looks like Meguiar"s LOL

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

SpidermanGeek · Sep 21, 2017

Well, new/used wheels are essentially ready to be put on.

285/75 vs 265/75

Got impatient... put them on. Lol.

Old 285/75R16 (8 year old TreadWright retreads of BFG M/T KMs)

"New" 265/75R16 (2 year old ETS Trail Master M/T remolds)

Left the spacers on for now and still need to get the tires balanced, but holy moly... took it for a spin and the difference is way bigger than I thought I would notice.

First off, even with spacers on and no balancing, the shimmy/vibration that the truck used to have is virtually gone!

Took it up to 130kmh and she drove smooth as silk (relatively speaking). I never dared hitting 130 before. 120 used to be fawkin' sketchy.

Other noticeable difference is ease of steering. Bombing around town, navigating intersections/turning is basically effortless now. I honestly didn't even consider that the downsize would make that much of a difference, but it does. I didn't really gain any power back (I wasn't expecting to either), but there is a "butt dyno" feeling that the drivetrain feels less like its under load. Again, didn't think I would notice anything different because the tire size difference isn't huge, but there's definitely a difference to be felt.

Anywho, wasn't sure if i'd regret getting these to replace what was there, but now I'm asking myself why I didn't do this sooner.

I don't think I sacrificed much of the look either and I'm happy to know that I can just take the spacers of if the need was ever there (trying to sell it certified for example.).

Patriot12 · Sep 21, 2017

Wikano said:
Just making my 20 year old black paint into a mirror with a little bit of detailing over the weekend... and yes, my fender is f'd up:wacko:

Yea, how'd you do it? Details!!!! ;-)

phattyduck · Sep 21, 2017

octanejunkie said:
The black bottle behind him in the first pic, looks like Meguiar"s LOL

If its stupid and it works, it isn't stupid!

I'm pretty close to just paying the detail shop down the street from my work to do a full exterior detail (well, clay, polish, wax) - I haven't done it in the year and a half I've owned the truck and it deserves to be protected and ready for "winter".

-Charlie

hang10 · Sep 21, 2017

octanejunkie said:
The black bottle behind him in the first pic, looks like Meguiar"s LOL

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

That " maroon bottle " is a Meguiars Deep Crystal step #3 Wax, part of a 3 step process . Step # 1 is a cleaner, step #2 is a polish and #3 is the wax. :guitar3:

Mark_BC · Sep 22, 2017

SpidermanGeek said:
Well, new/used wheels are essentially ready to be put on.

285/75 vs 265/75

Got impatient... put them on. Lol.

Left the spacers on for now and still need to get the tires balanced, but holy moly... took it for a spin and the difference is way bigger than I thought I would notice.

First off, even with spacers on and no balancing, the shimmy/vibration that the truck used to have is virtually gone!

Took it up to 130kmh and she drove smooth as silk (relatively speaking). I never dared hitting 130 before. 120 used to be fawkin' sketchy.

Other noticeable difference is ease of steering. Bombing around town, navigating intersections/turning is basically effortless now. I honestly didn't even consider that the downsize would make that much of a difference, but it does. I didn't really gain any power back (I wasn't expecting to either), but there is a "butt dyno" feeling that the drivetrain feels less like its under load. Again, didn't think I would notice anything different because the tire size difference isn't huge, but there's definitely a difference to be felt.

Anywho, wasn't sure if i'd regret getting these to replace what was there, but now I'm asking myself why I didn't do this sooner.

I don't think I sacrificed much of the look either and I'm happy to know that I can just take the spacers of if the need was ever there (trying to sell it certified for example.).

So you went down in tire size? Thanks for the photos, I have an SR5 same colour as yours and I got some black Limited trim which I am thinking I will paint silver., I have to paint them because they were in an accident and are bashed / scratched. It will end up looking basically identical to yours. I even dig the stock 3 spoke rims, I will continue with those.

xdustin · Sep 22, 2017

weathertec mats showed up yesterday, so I'm putting those in. Also putting in interior LEDs. Waiting on a red one to show up still

octanejunkie · Sep 22, 2017

SpidermanGeek said:
I honestly didn't even consider that the downsize would make that much of a difference, but it does. I didn't really gain any power back (I wasn't expecting to either), but there is a "butt dyno" feeling that the drivetrain feels less like its under load. Again, didn't think I would notice anything different because the tire size difference isn't huge, but there's definitely a difference to be felt.

Mark_BC said:
So you went down in tire size?

Going down in tire diameter makes the rear gear more "effective" so you should feel more power in your launch.

Larger offroad tires are often more difficult to balance and aren't meant for freeway driving, no surprise about your handling experiences.

Congrats, sounds like you're happy [emoji1360]

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Mark_BC · Sep 22, 2017

Tested the e-locker rear diff I put on last month with my Low Range Off Road switch. All works. You have to hold it for about 30 seconds for it to stop making noise, both ways, so I assume that's how long it takes to make the full travel. It chugs like a choo choo train.

Now I have to figure out how to run the wires up into the cabin. There is the old rear seat heater tubes I disconnected, I could go up through those but it's a little close to the exhaust. Where else can I go in? What about above the gas tank through that access port for the fuel pump plug? I'm not too keen on going through the front firewall due to leakage issues because it rains here a lot.

Wikano · Sep 22, 2017

CRB Racing said:
You can't post pics like that and not share what polish you used! LoL

Patriot12 said:
Yea, how'd you do it? Details!!!! ;-)

phattyduck said:
If its stupid and it works, it isn't stupid!

I'm pretty close to just paying the detail shop down the street from my work to do a full exterior detail (well, clay, polish, wax) - I haven't done it in the year and a half I've owned the truck and it deserves to be protected and ready for "winter".

-Charlie

hang10 said:
That " maroon bottle " is a Meguiars Deep Crystal step #3 Wax, part of a 3 step process . Step # 1 is a cleaner, step #2 is a polish and #3 is the wax. :guitar3:

It's pretty straight forward:
0). Have a lot of clean microfiber towels on hand
1). Wash car (don't skimp on the soap)
2). Dry car and use a clay bar with detailer as lubricant (I've been using been using a clay towel recently with nice results. I typically run my knuckles on the paint while claying and listen/feel for any paint contaminants;the paint will be smooth and silent if it is clean)
3). Polish car with a Random/Dual Action Orbital Polisher (you'll have to find the right compound and polish for your needs but I am using v36 from Chemical Guys)
4). Remove polish with mf towels
5). Apply wax with Random Orbital Polisher a small patch at a time (uses wax more efficiently and makes for an easier/faster cleanup)
6). Wait for wax to haze
7). Remove wax with lots of clean microfiber cloths

It looks like there are a lot of steps but for me there are only 3... clay, polish, & wax (you may need to "cut" your paint if it's really bad with an abrasive compound before you polish). After some practice and learning how to do each step correctly (plenty of youtube vids), you can finish a 4runner in about 3-4 hours. Everything you see below can be purchased from Amazon:typing: I just got into detailing a year ago and for the price of 1 or 2 professional details you can kit yourself out with everything you need to do it yourself.

*obligatory disclaimer* these are 20 year old trucks and detailing isn't a time machine lol You will still see deep scratches and pits in the sun.... but it's fun as hell to run your fingers on paint smoother than glass :guitar3:

SpidermanGeek · Sep 22, 2017

Mark_BC said:
So you went down in tire size? Thanks for the photos, I have an SR5 same colour as yours and I got some black Limited trim which I am thinking I will paint silver., I have to paint them because they were in an accident and are bashed / scratched. It will end up looking basically identical to yours. I even dig the stock 3 spoke rims, I will continue with those.

Yeah, I downsized. I mentioned elsewhere before that the main reason(s) were so that I can carry a same-size spare in the stock location (I currently don't even have a spare) and because I now have the option to run without spacers.

The latter is important in case I ever want to sell the 4runner or need to get it certified since wheel spacers will automatically fail a vehicle safety inspection in Ontario.
And I suppose it's just as important that the vehicle be equipped with a spare tire as well. Would fail inspection in that respect too, lol.

SpidermanGeek · Sep 22, 2017

octanejunkie said:
Congrats, sounds like you're happy [emoji1360]

Yeah, I now feel like 265/75R16 (or comparable size) is kind of the perfect all-around wheel size, especially if you DD or do more on-road than off, while at the same time, keeping an above average level of off-road capabilities, especially with an e-locker (which I still need to fix on mine).

It feels like the best of all worlds.

ToyotaBrah · Sep 22, 2017

Back in with another trivial update.

For the longest time, the rear wiper bracket on mine has been bothering me. Had developed some rust (I'm not sure how, this truck spent all of its life in the NW).

I removed it and painted it at one point, but admittedly it looked worse then. I decided to buy a brand new one from the dealership with new screws...wished I had done it sooner seeing as it only cost me $10-$12! It looks fantastic now.

IMG_1700 by FaheemBB6, on Flickr

IMG_1698 by FaheemBB6

IMG_1699 by FaheemBB6, on Flickr

IMG_1703 by FaheemBB6, on Flickr

ranbar02 · Sep 23, 2017

Put both cv axles in today and machined my front rotors while i had them off. Nice not to had the steering wheel shake when braking

99problems · Sep 23, 2017

Got around to cleaning some of the more unusual interior places today, starting with the front seat covers (3-part treatment with Wet Okole's deodorizer/shampoo/UV protectant). That's all I was intending to do, but it's funny how cleaning one thing will suddenly make you take notice of a previously unseen spot; in this case the headliner. Using a terry cloth and some lightly shampooed hot water, I scrubbed that dirty ****er down like it was a hobo with ichthyosis. It took 3 buckets worth of water before it was clean again... I had no idea until today that the previous owner - at some point - lost a fight with a soda. It's been over 100,000 miles of ownership and I'm still finding secrets. Also ordered a new brake pedal cover after finding my original cracked and falling off.

KingPrat · Sep 23, 2017

Rust mitigation:

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What Did You Do To Your 3rd Gen Today?

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