I'm up in Farmington now. We should fish this summer if you get some time!

Glad you got the 4runner put back together and aligned easily. I had a garbage alignment from the dealership up here that was "in spec". Found another shop that did a much better job, but the driver's side tire still rubs the pinch weld area at full compression.

The lights up front look good too.

The write-up I linked should work on all years of 3rd gens with OEM fog wiring. Once you start retrofitting things, it's time to break out the EWD.

If you're starting from scratch, I would just run standalone wiring and tie the relay into the marker lights so you have an auto-off function when you shut the headlight switch off.

I knocked out the wiring last night... it was a piece of cake. They work just as they should, anytime the markers are on. I wouldn't waste the time pulling the fuse box, it's so easy to do it on the topside and quickly reversible if you ever desire.

Ah, I see. It's pretty nice being 2.5 hours from Moab, isn't it? I'm game to get on the water with you for sure. Let me know if you get any fishing trips planned, even if it is last minute, and I'll do the same. I'm pretty flexible for the foreseeable future.

I took an hour last night and knocked out the wiring mods to allow anytime use of the new fog lights. I followed the write-up on JA's 4Runner site here > Toyota 4Runner Highlander Electrical Modifications Fog Light Mod

It is a pretty simple mod, but I executed it in a slightly different way than the write-up shows. I had a spare fog relay on hand which I used, and rather than just sticking the feed wire in the 10A TAIL fuse slot, I used a Bussman Add-a-Circuit fuse tap with a separate 7.5A fuse to the relay coil.

The additional step needed for 4Runners with DRLs isn't explained well, but after studying the EWD, basically what you're doing is giving the fog light switch access to a new ground point that is NOT controlled by the DRL module. I used a bolt to the right hand side of the DS foot well near the accelerator pedal that I checked for continuity to other body grounds.

Fog relay with bent prong at terminal 1, connected to fuse tap lead. Fuse tap inserted in 10A TAIL slot, with 7.5A fuse for new circuit. Original 10A fuse retained for TAIL functions.



Fog relay back in place...



The fuse tap will interfere slightly with the lid closing, so I cut out the spare fuse holders that were causing the interference. Now it fits like stock. I carry spare fuses elsewhere in the vehicle anyway.



The pics below show pin 16 on connector D8 at the DRL module under the dash, green wire w/black stripe. Cut this about an inch from the connector, tape off connector side, extend harness side with a length of wire sufficient to reach new ground point. The black wire w/yellow stripe taped off w/yellow tape is the one that gets clipped to disable DRLs... that was done years ago.

I did perform the continuity check as suggested in the write-up to verify the correct wire...





New ground above and to the right of the accelerator pedal...



Done deal...



Peekaboo!!! What's in the boxes?



Finally, a set of Cooper Discoverer STT Pros in 285/75r16 is on the way, thanks to the DTD Ebay sale. Yep, that's right... it might be the first time in history that someone on this forum has gone DOWN A TIRE SIZE.

I think you made the right choice in sticking with the 285s over something bigger. They seem to be the best balance between driveability and offroad ability. 35s have their place but there's also a lot of people on here that run them unnecessarily.

Im excited to see those new rims! Ive searched high and low and couldn't find pictures of the "secret" wheels from FN, I suppose that's why they're a secret

Thanks for the writeup and the tips, much appreciated. My '97 didn't have any foglights or associated wiring, so I indeed will be starting from scratch. I'll do exactly what you suggested, run new wires and relays and tie them into the stalk foglight switch and the marker light circuit. That'll work very nicely, better than the current setup which has them tied into the low beam circuit.

Thanks again, and sorry for the threadjack. Here are my foglights BTW:

With the 4Runner done and spring upon us, I had one more summit in southern NM that I wanted to check off my list before the area gets too hot for me. There are hundreds of mines in the area, but the grandest and most well preserved are found near the ghost town of Kelly, NM. Mining started in this area in 1866, and by 1884 there was town with 3,000 residents surrounding the operation, eventually leading to the establishment of the town of Magdalena. For anyone who loves history, geology, photography, or wheeling, this area is a must see.

The rig parked next to the shaft at Grand Tower.











Headed back down toward Pascal shaft and the head frames of the main shafts. The town of Magdalena in the distance at photo right.





The refractory, boiler, and assay structures.



There were huge nests in the tops of the old structures. The sticks were 2-3 feet long, so I'm guessing they were made by raptors of some sort, or large owls.



The main Kelly headframe, with a shaft 1,000 feet deep extending into the earth below it, with 30 MILES of mine shafts at the bottom.





To my amazement, the shaft had nothing more than a waist high fence surrounding it, and the fence was in disrepair. My stomach was turning over a bit while taking this shot. A fall would be certain death.



They built things to last back then.





The old Kelly church, which has been renovated over the years.



I did some recon on another trail in this area that looks like it could be one of the more challenging trails on FS land in the whole state. I am going to be in need of a few good men, with a few good Toyotas to go back and run it with me.

There was more to see at Kelly, but the day was getting away from me and I had to move on to make the summit of Withington. I approached the mountain on south facing slopes/ridges, which seemed prudent after some local intel revealed that there were long, steep patches of road still covered in ice and hardpack snow on the north side of the mountain.

The ridge between North Baldy to the left and South baldy to the right. This range lies east of Withington.



It was good to get some dirt under/on the tires.



Anyone seen the cartoon movie "Ferdinand?" Straight up real life Ferdinand, right here.



The wide open spaces in southern NM are breathtaking, and make for good spots to document a rig "as it stands today".







This tree had a trunk 3 feet in diameter. I'm not sure what species of tree it was, but this was a cool tree.





Only in NM do you see this kind of weird s*&t in the middle of nowhere. This reminded me of some kind of sacrificial ritual.







Starting the ascent.



This area has seen a lot of fires, which has left behind some interesting skeletons of trees.



First big views to the southeast.



Crossing the ridge you can start to see big views to the south.



All of a sudden, it feels like Colorado. This approach to the summit was awesome because it puts you on the spine of the mountain range at 9,500+ for over 10 miles, with huge views and high elevation the whole time.



Views opening up to the west, with eroded volcanic soils down in the canyons.

We didn't make the summit until about 5pm, by which point it had clouded up and the air had become perfectly still. There was not a hint of wind, and the silence was as profound as I have ever experienced. It was pierced only by the occasional bird call and the sound of my dog's paws in the dirt.



Not a bad spot for a sandwich.



The view from the sh$tter was satisfactory. I wouldn't mind pinching a loaf here every morning.





View to the north with Sierra Ladrones in the distance and the Sandias beyond.





Pit bull muscle!





It is hard to grasp via photos just how vast and empty these open spaces truly are... This is one of the main reasons why I live in NM.





I'd crash here.



I didn't take any pictures coming down the north facing slopes of Withington because the reports were accurate and the top section was dicey. It was covered in hard pack and sheet ice and I had to concentrate to keep the rig from sliding off the narrow shelf road and into the trees.

What was once a bad ass rig now slowly rusts on the plains of south central NM.



I caught a piece of the VLA on the way out and played with some of my cameras "fancy" shooting modes. Really it just adds effects to the pictures.



All in all, a great day, and I will definitely need to plan another trip to see the things I missed. The total mileage for the day was a little shy of 300 with over 100 miles on dirt. The main purpose of the trip was to prove out the rig after all the recent work, and after putting her through her paces today I'm satisfied that she won't let me down.

I took a separate drive last night to put a few miles on the 4Runner and got some output shots of the current lighting setup. Same camera settings for all shots.

Low beams only



High beams only



Low beams + new fogs



High beams + new fogs



Lows + new fogs + 55W HIDs



Highs + new fogs + 55W HIDs



55W HIDs only



Fogs only



Fogs + 55W HIDs, no headlights



All on, with the rig in the shot, for the heck of it.

Always love the trips BFAD. The pics are great as usual. Only in the SouthWest is one able to really slowly see the relics of the past as they were before. In the East here rust is like aggressive cancer, it slows down for nothing. So very few things, especially old steel and iron, exist anymore.

No fishing this time I take it.

Amazing, thanks for the pics. Now I have HID envy, so of course a retrofit is swirling around in my head.

Well shoot. Now I need to move to NM.

THANKS A LOT BFAD.

Thanks, LC! I'm happy to be posting trip pictures again, rather than pictures of parts/repairs. Hopefully I can get out again this week. You make a good point about the preservative nature of our climate down here... I guess I take that for granted, usually. I have not been fishing in a while due to some circumstances I'm dealing with that have limited my bi-pedal range to some degree. I hope to get back to it this spring/summer.

The HIDs are my favorite lighting addition. They blow LEDs out of the water, IMO, but unfortunately are not as compact or flexible in their application. I have been on the fence about a headlight retrofit for years, but have always questioned their durability when subjected to extended off road use.

You're welcome. We have great food, and awesome microbrew beer as well.

Trout season opens the last Saturday in April here. With the minimal snow this year I'm expecting most of the alpine lakes I fish to be ice free not long after the opener. I've fished a lot of different species of fish in my life but Golden Trout are my favorite. What's your preferred species?

Hope that you get healed up and back on the water soon.

My favorite trout to catch are big Rio Grande cutts. They are so colorful (see some of the pictures in this thread) with their bright red flanks and jawlines, and they fight well. I have a few lakes where I find big ones that I only fish alone. Second to that, my weakness is big brown trout.

That being said, I have heard that big Goldens fight harder than any other kind of trout, and the ones I have seen in photos are stunning fish. We don't have any opportunities for them out here, and only a few in CO.

Thanks for the well wishes on healing up. I'm about there, but I need to get back in shape.