[RallyBud]

My goal in buying the 4Runner was to build a moderate prerunner and overland vehicle to really take advantage of being stationed out here in Southern California. After about nine months of research, I finally got one this past December.

The day I brought her home:



Black 2004 Toyota 4Runner V8/4WD Sport Edition:


Engine/Performance:
4.6L V8
HCF delete


Suspension Front:
KING 2.5 Front Coilovers with Remote Resevoir and 24 Way Adjuster
Total Chaos Upper Control Arms
Total Chaos Spindle Gussets
Total Chaos Cam Tab Gussets
Total Chaos Coil Bucket Gussets


Suspension Rear:
KING 2.5 Rear Shocks with Remote Resevoir and 24 Way Adjuster
Radflo Rear 2" Lift Coil Springs


Armor:
None yet (sliders and skids in the near future)


Wheels:
Mickey Thompson Classic Baja Lock, 17x9 with 6 on 5.5 Bolt Pattern
Gorilla Lug Nuts


Tires:
BF Goodrich AT TKO 275/70R17


Interior:
Vertex VX-2100/2200 UHF/VHF radio
VSC/ABS/ATRAC Disable Switch
Interior led’s
Cigarette Adaptor (2 x 12v)
Toyota all weather mats
recovery gear and straps
Passenger Oh **** Handle Removed


Exterior:
CBI Folding Tire Carrier with Rotopax and Hi Lift Jack mounts
Side Exit Exhaust
Plastidip roof rails
Runnnig Boards Removed


I wasn't feeling the rear exit exhaust:


I went to an awesome muffler shop here in San Diego called "Ed Hansen's Muffler Shop". The guy is a true patriot and gives a lot to wounded warriors.


Some shots the day my suspension/wheels/tires install was complete.







One thing I didn't like right off the bat was the excessive loop of the front reservoir hoses. The tire was rubbing it during tight turns. I had them break the weld and remount them a tad bit further forward. I am also going to turn the stickers right side up.



Another of my goals with keeping in the spirit of pre running is to keep the weight down as much as possible. So after some more extensive research I went with the CBI Fold Down Tire Carrier. It isn't as pretty as some of the nice rear bumpers but it weighs substantially less.



Underbody protection and rock sliders are next on my list.....

[RallyBud]

Right after installing the new suspension parts Off Road Warehouse, who installed the parts, needed the truck to have 500 miles on it before making any adjustments. My brother and I decided to head out to the Otay Mountain Truck Trail which is just a few miles east of San Diego just above the Olympic Training Center.

Aside from having beautiful scenery along the trail are old artillery bunkers left over from World War II.






One of the spotter hooches for the artillery sites:


A nice little drop where I actually used 4WD Low.

[RallyBud]

I finally got a chance to take the truck out for a "shakeout patrol" though the Anza Borrego State Park here in Southern California. I started out on a slightly sandy canyon and thought I better air the tires down a bit. I dropped them from 38 to 28psi.

As I was airing them down my buddy Jim mentioned that the small lip in the wash may allow me to get some air. I hit the jump at around 25mph and about crapped when I realize just how much air I got. When I landed I thought my tires and suspension was going to be pancaked on the desert floor. To my joy, it was unscathed. Although, my brother's camera didn't film it so I went back and did it again.

The truck performed flawlessly and was a blast to drive. Such a smooth drive! there were times where I was hitting 70mph through some of the washes.

Here are some of the highlights of the day:


Some pictures from along the route:





We stopped at a local biker bar just up the way. Cool place called "The Hideout Saloon - Cold Beer, Hot Chicks".

[ebg18t]

Glad everything worked out as planned!

[J053619]

This is an amazing build, and your jump vid was insane! Thanks for some ideas!

[RallyBud]

Originally Posted by ebg18t

Glad everything worked out as planned!

Yeah, me too! Originally, I had just ordered the spindle gussets. I then pulled my head out of my butt and paid the extra couple hundred bucks for the cam tab and coil bucket gussets. I just need to tinker more with my compression settings out in the desert for some of the higher speed running. I had them at full soft for the entire day. I should have dialed it up a bit....maybe half way....and done some of the same runs over to see the difference.

Originally Posted by J053619

This is an amazing build, and your jump vid was insane! Thanks for some ideas!

Thanks brother! The jump was a blast....glad you enjoyed it!

[RallyBud]

I moved out of Coronado over to Alpine here in California to be closer to the mountains and desert. It's only been two weeks but I've found some nice truck trails to enjoy the rig on. I do need to do some more fender and fender well trimming. I am tearing up the seem welds on the rear side of the front wheel wells pretty good.

Slider rails and skid protection are in my near future. However, I have developed an occasional clunk that sounds like its coming from the driver side front. I've done an initial investigation but need to get it on a lift for a more thorough one.

What is the next logical step in beefing up my suspension based on the mods I currently have for mild pre running in the desert and aggressive trail driving?