Thank you sir!

So I get a sabbatical from work at some point this year. I'm taking (at least) 4 weeks off and I'll be doing a trip from Phoenix to Iowa (to see the family) and then from Iowa to Yellowstone to see some nature.

This is my first time doing anything like this, and I'm going solo. Any tips? Must have items? I'm picking up my RTT soon. I'll probably get a Yeti cooler for the trip as well.

I'll be driving right through MOAB, might as well stop there. Anything else on the way back down to AZ from Yellowstone that is a must see? Thanks in advance!

I got my skid plates from Savage Offroad in the mail a few weeks ago but haven't had time to put them on. Sunday was my first day off in 3 weeks.

I'm really happy with their product. I had to add a few washers to get everything to clear the diff with the diff drop but nothing too bad. They're beefy and they look badass!

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So this happened yesterday. I picked up a 23Zero Litchfield.

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This thing is comfy! I finally got some time to set it up and check everything out. Unfortunately the front plate on my BajaRack blocks one of the support poles for one of the windows. I'll probably just drill a hole to pass it through.
Hopefully I can get out of the city this weekend.

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Only thing I don't love about the Savage skids is they need to be about 6 inches longer in the back to provide a bit of protection to the steering rack. I made an extension plate.

Great looking rig. Really like the front bumper. Not one I've ever seen on a 3rd gen.

Beautiful rig and love the progression. Thanks for the infomative thread. Just picked up my first one and trying to leave it alone, but threads like this make it tough. Especially love the grill on yours, hit their site and the options are endless. Might be my first "mod." Thanks again.

Andrew

Really like the wheel & tire combo on the black sport. I plan to step up from my 285/70/17 KO’s to the 285/75/17 KO2’s at some point as well. The old Robby Gordon wheels with removable rings are my all time favorite (also expensive and hard to come by), but these SCS Ray 10’s in this finish are a close second but almost equally as hard to come by judging off the SCS Ray 10 thread on Tacoma World. Looking sharp!

I purchased the front half, I'm wondering if you get the trans skid too it covers it all (I assume it would). I do love the look though, and they're substantially beefier than stock.

Thank you! It's made by RPMFab, local fab shop here in AZ. Gotta love local pick up, shipping on 100 pound bumper isn't cheap.

Thank you! It's coming along a lot quicker than I anticipated, hopefully the OT at work doesn't dry up anytime soon.
If you look up the Satoshi grill mod, there's a lot of people that achieve the same thing for a fraction of the cost. I'm lazy, haha.

Thank you! I really like the look of them, plus the fake beadlock keeps my valve stem safe


I took a quick run out to Four Peaks just north of Phoenix this past weekend to test out the RTT. It did well, despite the 50 MPH winds that I dealt with all night.

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And I just made a purchase that I'm very excited about

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Dang man! Great looking 4Runner. I've said it before many times, but it is hard to beat a good looking black 4Runner. And it doesn't look like you are wasting much time modding your rig. I like those SCS Ray 10's. They look great and go with the black 4runner. I almost went that route over the F5's.

I have some PIAA crystal Ion lights that I have yet to mount. They originally came with a Shrockworks front bumper that I had before I swapped it out for my AOR front bumper. But those squadron pros put out a crazy amount of light. I just need to decide what way I want to go there. I either want to be able to use them on the street as fog lights and not get flashed or pulled over, or have a very useful offroad trail lighting solution. I have heard from many that the Pros are way too bright for pavement, but fantastic for offroad.

So, did you order a 4X Innovations rear swing out?

Thanks man! I almost got the bronze Ray10's but ended up on the matte gray. Now I need to get a 5th wheel since I have the rear bumper on the way. I ordered the rear bumper, swing arm, single jerry can, hi lift mount, and folding table. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting the same set up as you minus the light cut outs.

For the fog lights, you can actually do both. I had originally planned to use a Skene dimmer module with the Squadron Pros to set them at say 20% for a streetable fog light setting, and 100% for off road. I ended up not doing it out of laziness, but it is possible.

https://www.bajadesigns.com/products...cle-dimmer.asp

I'm starting the planning phase for my big trip in June/July. Currently waiting on my 4xInnovtions rear bumper and I managed to get one more Ray10 with the March restock (thanks @SCSPerformance ).

Tentative route is as follows. Currently have 4700+ miles of driving planned

Chandler, AZ -> Telluride, CO
I'll be taking Imogene and Engineer Pass to get over to Lake City and then head up to Denver. Anything else that you Colorado boys know of would be appreciated.

Denver, CO -> Des Moines, IA
I'll be enjoying the skate parks in Denver for a few days with some old friends and then on to Des Moines for some family time.

Des Moines, IA -> Mount Rushmore, SD
This stop is to break up a 19 hour drive. I've never been and figured why not.

Mount Rushmore, SD -> Glacier National Park, MT
Planning on seeing Trail of Cedars, Avalanche Gorge/Lake, and Cracker Lake.

Glacier National Park, MT -> Yellowstone, WY
Yellowstone, WY -> Arches National Park/Moab, UT
Moab, UT -> Zion National Park, UT
Zion National Park -> Flagstaff, AZ
Flagstaff, AZ -> Chandler, AZ


Still planning/prepping. If there's anything along this route that is an absolute must see, please let me know.

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Rear bumper came in! Huge thank you to @traxman25 and all the guys at 4xInnoations. I'm very happy with this purchase! Just need to get some 861's to correct what I just did to the rear lift.

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So the rear wasn't too bad day one, but good lord that thing settled quickly! Just ordered 861's to correct it, they should be here Friday!

I also picked up a ScanGuage, that thing is SLICK! Having the trans temp gauge is sooo nice