turbodb's Build and Adventures

For a few years now I've had a build and adventure thread for the Tacoma, but with @mini.turbodb getting bigger, we finally decided that it was time to get something that was a bit more comfortable for her than the back of the extended cab. Enter the 1997 4Runner.

Should be reasonably familiar build, and a whole different kind of adventure!

Orientation
These topics don’t cover all of the story, but they’ll jump you to specific parts...

Full list of specs as it sits now:

• 1997 Toyota 4Runner 4WD SR5

Completed Modifications

1. Appropriate Wheels (4Runner 5-spoke) and Tires (265/75R16 Duratracs)
2. Installing Tundra Brakes on a 3rd Gen 4Runner
3. Old Man Emu for Four Corners of the 4Runner
4. Sliders
5. Slowly Turning the 4Runner into a Tacoma...New LBJs and OTREs
   
6. Roof Rack
7. Rear Storage and Sleeping Platform

Planned Modifications
None at this time. Famous last words.

Trips

1. January 2019 - We Go Sledding and @mini.turbodb Didn't Hate It!
2. May 2019 - "Best Day of My Life" - @mini.turbodb's First Trip in the 4Runner

"Notable in some way" Maintenance

1. Slowly Turning the 4Runner into a Tacoma...New LBJs and OTREs

September 21, 2018.

Well, we're now a two-Toyota family. For the last several months, @mrs.turbodb and I have been talking about getting a 4Runner so that our adventures with @mini.turbodb can be more comfortable for her - the extended cab of the Tacoma becoming a tight space for a growing kiddo.

A 4Runner - especially an older 3rd gen one - seemed like a good choice. Proven Toyota reliability, a similar platform (and the same engine) to the Tacoma, and four doors! So when this beauty came along, we were quick to go check it out. It's a 1997 with 270,000 miles on it.


Basically stock, it appears to have been well maintained and loved by it's previous family. Our plan is to do the same - leaving it mostly as-is, with only a few minor mods to make it fit our needs. Or at least, that's what we're telling ourselves right now! :wink:

So, what's in store? Only the following:

1. Change most of the fluids (engine, diffs, transfer case, brakes, power steering, transmission).
2. Remove the side steps and replace them with sliders.
3. Replace the brakes, which are clearly in need of replacing.
4. Get some new tires. We need something a bit more capable than these passenger-rated tires off a second-gen Tacoma .

And that's it for now.

We Go Sledding and @mini.turbodb Didn't Hate It!
January 1, 2019.

With Christmas vacation in full swing, we've been having a great time. There are lots of new toys to play with around the house, there are activities to keep us busy during the day, and the newly introduced household chores - and associated weekly allowance - have @mini.turbodb in high spirits.

Oh, to be eight years old.

But, when @mrs.turbodb suggested that we get bundled up and head up into the mountains to get in some sledding and enjoy the snow, the child was having none of it. "I hate the snow, it's too cold." - The words spilled out of her mouth with such ease that I had a hard time believing that this was the same child who immediately takes off her shoes and socks upon entering the house in the dead of winter, complaining that she's "too hot" after walking 50 feet from the car to the house.

Obviously - as loving parents - we made the executive decision that we were going anyway because, snow is awesome. So we donned our warmest of clothes, packed up the sled, and took the new-to-us 4Runner on it's maiden off-pavement adventure.

Our destination was one we've visited before - a little place up I-90 that we seem to frequent on an annual basis for one reason or another - a place we've even led other 4Runners on their maiden adventures. A place that we hoped would have enough snow for sledding and some snow balls, but not so much that it was impassable for the as-good-as-grip-less passenger tires we are still sporting on the 4Runner.

Things didn't look good at first - as we exited the freeway, there was no snow to be seen, but as the FS road climbed into the mountains, we started to see patches of white - then white on the road - and finally, snowy conditions.

The 4Runner was doing it. Perhaps not with as much confidence as the Tacoma, but with four wheel drive, it was plodding along OK.


For a while. There are two semi-sticky spots on this trail, the first being just after a water crossing where the road is a bit rutted and so you end up with the majority of your weight on two wheels. As tame as it looks, the 4Runner wasn't having any of that - it's wheels spinning, hunting for traction they couldn't find.


Just look at that rear - all flexed out. Droop for days. Eat your heart out Tacoma! :rofl:


Not wanting to get all this way only to turn around, I decided that a little skinny pedal momentum was just what this situation called for - so I rolled back a few feet and gave it the juice. Oh, how I wish I could have caught the looks and screams from the two ladies in the car - though their smiles seemed to suggest that they were enjoying being terrified! :wink:

We'd made it.


A bit further up the road we came to a long, gentle downhill, curvy section that I knew would be perfect for sledding. It was just steep enough that the kiddo would get going the perfect speed - "so fast" to her, "way too fast" to @mrs.turbodb, and "slow enough that I could run and catch her if I needed to" for me.

With only about 8 inches of relatively compacted snow, there was just enough that the tire tracks made the perfect sled run - pre-compacted and structural enough to keep the sled on the road for a good 500 feet or so - a 50 second run!

Everyone had a blast! @mini.turbodb went solo, solo with a starting push, and with all combinations of parents as copilots. We even had one run where we all piled in together, our mass allowing us to reach speeds - judging from the screams - just short of the sound barrier.




Eventually, many sledding runs and a few snowball fights later, we decided it was time to call it an afternoon. We piled back into the 4Runner - everyone in high spirits and backed our way down much of the trail, our tires too wimpy to climb up and out of the ruts to turn around. :rofl:

We did make one pit stop on our way "back(ing) out" - at the small creek we couldn't resist building a snowman for anyone else coming this way - our little white dude guarding the landmark culvert on this trail.


Then, eventually, we were able to get turned around - the snow shallow enough that even our wimpiest of tires could gain traction on the rocks below - and we continued down the mountain - the snow line clearly visible across the valley.


The trip had been a rousing success. I wouldn't be surprise to hear a little voice around the house bugging us to "do it again." To which my response - of course - can only be, "I thought you hated the snow?!" :wink:

Reading through your Tacoma build currently. Awesome trips you've taken in that. Can't wait to see what you do with the 4R, keep it up.

Edit: Living vicariously through that thread btw.

Looks like you all had a great time. Memories made!

flooredrunner said:

Reading through your Tacoma build currently. Awesome trips you've taken in that. Can't wait to see what you do with the 4R, keep it up.

Edit: Living vicariously through that thread btw.

Click to expand...

Hahaha, thanks! Glad you're enjoying it. There probably won't be quite as many trips in the 4Runner, but we should have some good ones - they are always more fun with the kiddo!

codrMechanix said:

Looks like you all had a great time. Memories made!

Click to expand...

So true. I never really appreciated it when I was dragged along as a kid, but I think that's really just part of how this all works. So, the tradition continues

What's On Tap for Our 3rd Gen 4Runner
March 31, 2019.

Ever since we picked up the 3rd Gen 4Runner back in September 2018, we knew that it needed some work to really be a viable family adventure vehicle. Some of that work is cosmetic, and some is mechanical - but all of it took a back burner to the various trips that we had planned and the winter weather that prevented too much work on any of the trucks.

But now, things are starting to look up for the 4Runner. Spring is here - or at least threatening to be - and it's time to start getting on the list that I created when we bought this beast:

1. Change most of the fluids (engine, diffs, transfer case, brakes, power steering, transmission).
2. Remove the side steps and replace them with sliders.
3. Replace the brakes, which are clearly in need of replacing.
4. Get some new tires. We need something a bit more capable than these passenger-rated tires off a second-gen Tacoma .

And - of course - there are a few more items that have popped up since we've started driving it:

1. The interior smells...perfumed. I think two things are needed here: some seat covers, and a thorough washing of the rug. And by thorough, I mean it needs to be taken out and pressure washed. And I wonder if we can somehow was the seats too.
2. It needs a roof rack. I mean, if we're going to mount the [MENTION=178140]Cascadia[/MENTION] Tents (CVT) Mt. Shasta RTT on it when we venture out, we aren't going to be able to use the OEM rack.
3. It needs a storage system for the back to hold the fridge, our gear, and provide a sleeping area for @mini.turbodb.
4. I want to get the lower ball joints (LBJs) changed as preventative maintenance - especially since we'll be taking it off-pavement. I'll likely switch these to the 1st gen Tacoma variant, so that the parts are interchangeable between trucks.
5. It's got some sort of oil leak, somewhere. This needs more investigation before I even know what the issue is.

So, that's what's in store for the 4Runner in the reasonably near future. Well, most of it is in store - I did already take care of two of these items already...

First, all of the fluids got changed before we really started driving it - because it's always good to know that the fluids are in good shape. Second, a few weeks ago, it got some new shoes.


I knew what I wanted here from my previous experience with the Tacoma. I wanted something that would:

• Fit without rubbing - that would mean that it's smaller, but that's fine for how we'll use this truck.
• Provide good on- and off-road performance - since this is going to be our daily driver as well.
• Be C-load, rather than the much heavier E-load that I have on the Tacoma, because I'm getting too old to lift those E-load tires all the time, and because I still care about MPGs.

With those things in mind, it took me about 7 seconds to decide on the tire I was going to run: Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs, in a 265/75R16 size, and with C-load range. I ran similar Duratracs on the Tacoma for a couple of years and really liked them. They were reasonably quiet on-road and did amazingly well on the dirt and snow - performing flawlessly through The De-Tour, my first two week trip.

Oh, and while I was at it, I got some new wheels to replace the 2nd Gen Tacoma wheels that looked a bit funky in my opinion - so now I'm running the Duratracs on the same Limited 4Runner wheels that I have on the Tacoma, and they look just as sharp if you ask me. :biggrin:

welcome over!

Which sliders are you using if you don't mind me asking?

Excited to see how you build out the 4runner. Tacoma is super clean! Also, I love reading about adventures!

eimkeith said:

welcome over!

Click to expand...

Thanks! I've lurked over here for a bit, but figured now I had a good excuse for a thread. Going to try posting adventures here too, we'll see how that goes from a time commitment perspective...

flooredrunner said:

Which sliders are you using if you don't mind me asking?

Click to expand...

Patience, all will be revealed soon enough. :wink2:

Flemster said:

Excited to see how you build out the 4runner. Tacoma is super clean! Also, I love reading about adventures!

Click to expand...

Thanks, appreciate it! And glad you're enjoying - it's fun to write up.

Installing Tundra Brakes on a 3rd Gen 4Runner
April 1, 2019.

You know that feeling when you've got a project to do that you're a little apprehensive of because you're not sure if it'll go well, or if you've got all the right stuff to make it happen?

Well, for once, I wasn't feeling that way! It was a great feeling, and one that I can only hope to have again - perhaps sometime in the distant future when I finally know what I'd doing around these Toyota trucks.

Today, it was time for a project that I was completely comfortable with - installing Tundra brakes on a 3rd gen 4Runner. See, I'd done this twice before - once on the Tacoma, and on Mike's (@Digiratus) Tacoma. Today, I hoped to complete the entire project in less than two hours - one hour per side - since from everything I knew, it would be an easier upgrade on the 4Runner than it was on the Tacoma.

And, the 4Runner really needed this. When we bought it, the previous owner mentioned that the brakes were the worst thing on the vehicle. The rotors had warped over time and the whole front end wobbled when the brakes were applied - definitely not a fun feeling. Oh, and there was the time that the driver side caliper stuck - we got a nice wobble at 45mph and a smell "to die for" that let us know that something was "a bit off." :rofl:

At any rate - I got started as I always do - I assembled the parts and tools that I'd need. For a bunch of reasons - which I covered last time - I once again decided to go OEM on this upgrade. As I've said to many people who've asked about the best way to do this - when you're upgrading your brakes to have more braking power, you want to go with the highest quality, most surface area components you can - and in this case, that means OEM.

• 2 Toyota Tundra OEM rotors (L/R: 43512-0C011)
• 2 Re-manufactured Tundra 13WL calipers from Napa (L: CAL SE3263) (R: CAL SE3264)
• 1 set of Toyota Tundra OEM brake pads (L/R: 04465-35290)
• 1 set of Toyota Tundra OEM brake pad shims (L/R: 04945-35120, or 04945-0c030)
• Some DOT4 brake fluid, and 3M brake cleaner

I also got all the tools together that I knew I'd need - there's not much for this project actually, especially on a 4Runner.

• A few different size sockets/wrenches (though expensive this is a good kit that has nearly everything you'll ever need)
  • 12mm - to remove the brake line bracket from the spindle.
  • 17mm - for the caliper itself.
  • 21mm - lug nuts
• A 10mm flare nut wrench for the caliper-brake line fitting.
• A 8mm box-end wrench for bleeding the brake calipers
• Impact wrench (or large breaker bar) - for removing your lug nuts
• An angle grinder - for cutting the dust shield.
• Torque wrench - to re-torque the caliper bolts and lug nuts.
• Some rubber vacuum caps - to keep brake fluid from leaking everywhere while swapping the calipers.

And then - hoping my confidence wasn't misplaced - I was off! And soon, so were the 4Runner wheels. I really do love this Milwaukee impact wrench. I debated for several months whether or not I should get it, and it's one of my favorite tool purchases to date. I smile every time I use it.


Next, it was time to remove the brake line from the caliper. This is the only part of the process that's different on the 4Runner than the Tacoma - the 4Runner has a hard line into the brake caliper where the Tacoma uses a soft line. The 4Runner design is a much better design, and made this part of the process go much easier.

First, locate the bracket that holds the brake line to the spindle. Using a 12mm socket, remove the single bolt so that the line is free to move. Next, using a 10mm flare nut wrench, remove the hard line from the caliper. When you do this, brake fluid will want to start leaking out, so use a small rubber vacuum cap to seal off the end of the line (Hint: push the fitting up the line so you can get a tight fit on the flared end of the line itself).


Having seemingly just started, the job of removing the old components is nearly done! With a 17mm socket, the next step is to remove the two bolts that hold the brake caliper to the hub. I've never had any problem removing these, but some people report that they rust into place. If that's the case for you, I guess you could be nearly done for quite a while. :sorry:


Of course, once you have the bolts removed, just pull that caliper off and keep it oriented so any brake fluid it contains doesn't spill all over your pants. Ask me why. Then, pull off the old rotor as well - you won't need either of these parts again. Or, rather - you'll want to return the calipers to get your core charge refunded, and you can try to see the rotors to your local scrap guy. Or give them to him for free. Or just put them in the recycle bin.

Or, do what I did - stack them in the garage and hope to forget about them in time.


With all the parts removed, there's one step before installation of the new parts - and that's cutting the dust shield a bit so that the new rotor and calipers fit. This is reasonably straight forward for the most part. Hold the caliper in place and mark on the dust shield where it interferes with the caliper.

Then, cut that bit off and hit it with a bit of spray paint to prevent rust. Don't spend too much time on this part - get the cut close but it doesn't need to be perfect.

Oh, and make sure to check the portion of the dust shield that fits "inside" the center of the rotor. That seems to rub sometimes / for some people - but not for others. For me, it's rubbed one of six times.


With that done, it's time to start re-assembly. The easiest part - of course - is putting on the new rotor. It just slides right on over the studs, and you should secure it - finger tight only - with two lug nuts, so you can get the caliper installed more easily.


Next, put the caliper in place and secure it with the two 17mm bolts. I finger tightened these first, and then torqued them right down to the speced 90 ft-lbs. After-all, I had no plans to remove them again - and as you'll recall, I was trying to get this done quickly!

Zooming through the last few steps, it was time to put the new brake pads in and secure them. Having purchased OEM pads and shims, that means I first needed to assemble them, which is easy. It sandwich goes pad - slotted shim - a little grease - solid shim - a little grease. Then I had this nice little sandwich that I could slide into the caliper.


Once I'd done that, it was a simple matter of installing the spring clamps to hold them in place and then using the flare nut wrench to re-attach the hard brake line to the caliper and the 12mm socket to reattach the brake line bracket to the spindle. Oh, and I re-torqued the wheels back on the truck - 89 ft-lbs.


Then, I stopped my stopwatch.

Well, I looked at the time anyway. 45 minutes. Not too shabby for an old guy. All that was left was to bleed the lines - something that @mrs.turbodb was happy to help with.

And now, we've got amazing braking on the 4Runner. Even better than the Tacoma, since there's not all the extra armor and gear weighing it down!

Old Man Emu for Four Corners of the 4Runner, with a Twist
April 2, 2019.

I like to think that I live and learn. I'm also a creature of habit, and I wonder if I'm starting down the same road I've been down before.

See, with the Tacoma, I thought long and hard about the first set of aftermarket suspension that I put on it. Originally I wanted to spend a couple hundred dollars. Luckily - and before I spent any money - I realized that I didn't want a block lift, I wanted a suspension lift. So then I did a bunch of research and came up with Toytec BOSS coilovers as a reasonably-priced setup - though quite a bit more than a couple hundred dollars.

And then, two years and a bunch of experience later, I ditched the Toytec setup for a high-end ADS suspension on all four corners. At a high-end price. I could have saved a bunch of money if I'd just gone that route from the start.

Fast forward to today. If the 4Runner is going to be our family adventure vehicle when @mini.turbodb is with us, it's going to need some new suspension. We'll need that to support the weight of our gear, and to provide a bit nicer ride on the bumps we'll encounter. Which immediately begs the question - do I go all-out now and put on the high-end stuff, or - like I did with the Tacoma - do I start with something else?

OK, from the title of the post, those who know about suspension know my decision - but bear with me while I explain how I ended up where I did. Because I'm starting with something else.


The reason I'm starting here - rather than going all-out - is that the plan for the 4Runner is to keep it a bit tamer than the Tacoma. We've found that full-family outings are more enjoyable when we're not wheeling all day, the small one liking to get to a cool spot and then get out and explore, rather than being cooped up in her seat. If I'm honest, I remember that feeling myself - never really caring about the things we were seeing as we drove to our camp as a kid - clearly a deficiency of human children. :rofl:

As such, I don't need the high-levels of performance, or the adjustability of a high-end racing shock. And, because family adventures are generally fewer and closer to home than some of our longer treks in the Tacoma, I don't think I'll need to worry about annual rebuilds - so that's another place I can save a few bucks.

So why then did I decide to go with Old Man Emu (OME) and not another brand like Bilstein or even Toytec again? Simple - it was for the simplicity can convenience of it all. OME has several different shock/strut options, as well as several different coil spring options that make it reasonably easy to get the performance you're looking for.

In my case, I wanted just a little bit of lift (1-2"), a little more weight carrying capacity (for our gear), and a bit of rake in the rear (the rear 1-2" higher than the front). So I ordered The following parts:

• OME 90004 Nitrocharger Sport Front Shocks - this is standard for any OEM front setup, no real option here.
• OME 2881 Front Coil Springs - these give a bit of lift in the front on a stock 4Runner, but nothing extreme.
• OME 60028 Nitrocharger Sport Rear Shocks - these have firmer valving to handle the heavier load and bumps.
• OME 2890 Rear Coil Springs - these provide similar lift to the 881 front springs, and don't require a constant additional load in the rear of the 4Runner

All that was reasonably straight forward, but there was a twist. Normally, the front shocks and coils are ordered pre-assembled. There are generally two reasons for that - first, pre-assembly includes a new top plate for the coil - a good idea if the existing top plate is rusted. Second - and more critically - most normal people make the smart decision that they don't want to deal with compressing the coils - a potentially deadly operation with the amount of force needed - to remove the old one from the old shock, and install the new one on the new shock.

That's normal people. Something I'm rarely accused of. I ordered everything unassembled. And I did it because I'd recently purchased one of these puppies! ::


This Branick 7600 spring compressor allows me to compress springs safely, and I got it because I know I'll need to do that often on the Tacoma as I rebuild the suspension on an annual basis. As such, I might as well save the $100 assembly on the 4Runner as well - you know, helping to offset the cost of the Branick. That's called "flawless" male logic.

At this point, I was ready to go. Or so I thought. I got started on the front by gathering all the necessary tools:

• A few different size sockets/wrenches (though expensive this is a good kit that has nearly everything you'll ever need)
  • 14mm - for the shock top mount nuts.
  • 17mm - for the lower shock mount.
  • 21mm - lug nuts.
• Impact wrench (or large breaker bar) - for removing your lug nuts.
• Torque wrench - to re-torque the lower shock mount and lug nuts.

I got started by jacking up the 4Runner and removing the wheel, as seems to be the case for a lot of the projects on the trucks - once again adding a smile to the long list of smiles provided by the Milwaukee impact wrench.


Next, it was time to remove the old shock from the truck. I don't know if it was the original, but if it wasn't, it was extremely old. The next few minutes would be very indicative of the rest of my day - if the various nuts came off without being cut, I'd be a much happier dude than if they'd rusted in place.


Amazingly, everything came off reasonably easy - another huge win for Pacific coast winters, and the lack of salted roads that cause everything to corrode!

With the old coil off, it was time for what was easily the most tense few moments of my day - figuring out and using the spring compressor for the first time. Would I kill myself? Only maim? Hopefully neither.

I got the spring positioned in the compressor and cranked it down. Creaking ensued. Tension (both the spring and mine) rose. And the spring compressed - it was working! I was so relieved that I forgot to snap a photo.

:anonymous:

Soon, tension was released from the top cap and it I was able to attempt removal of the center nut that secured the top plate to the strut. It required a bit of heat, but like the other nuts, this one eventually released too - an adjustable wrench used to hold the post stationary while the nut is backed off, and off came the top cap.


And then, I was left with a little pile of death held in the spring compressor.


At this point, I figured it was a good idea to clean up the top plate a bit - while it was off the truck, I could chase the threads on the posts to remove residual rust, and then get everything ready to install the new OME 90004 Nitrocharger Sport shock into the coil.


Clean up complete, I laid out the new shock, just to ensure that I had all the parts I'd need for the install - or rather, that I knew how to install all the parts that I had (because let's be frank - it was more likely that I'd mess that up than that ARB didn't include some parts ::.

So here's what I had: The shock itself, and then the bottom cup on which the spring sits, a new washer, new bushing, old washer, old top plate, new bushing, new washer, new top nut. Perfect.


Assembly was essentially the reverse of removal - the first step was sliding everything into the compressed spring and tightening the top center nut.


Finally, I was able to release pressure on the spring compressor and breath easily again. It had been a huge success, especially given that I hadn't had to change my underwear.

Back out at the truck with new coilover in hand, I slid it into place and loosely attached the three top nuts to hold it in place while I worked to align the bottom bolt - which of course is rarely an easy thing to do when a truck has it's OEM upper control arms (UCAs) and the stock rubber bushings on both the UCAs and lower control arms (LCAs). In the end, I resorted to a trick I'd also used on the Tacoma - the stock screw jack and a neoprene knee pad positioned in the wheel well, pushing down on the UCA, which in turn pushes down the LCA so that the lower bolt can slide in through the shock.

Not sketchy at all. Probably even the way they recommend doing it in the Toyota manual. :wink:


At that point, I torqued everything to spec - 47 ft-lbs for the three top nuts, 89 ft-lbs for the lower bolt, and 89 ft-lbs for the lug nuts, and the front suspension was done. It was great, except that the rake on the 4Runner was now backwards - the front higher than the rear by a good amount.

Some people like it, but personally I think that looks a little goofy.

So it was time to do the rear. Something that would turn out to be not-quite-as-straight-forward as the front. Go figure. I started with the tools I thought I'd need:

• A few different size sockets/wrenches (though expensive this is a good kit that has nearly everything you'll ever need)
  • 12mm - for the sway bar mounts.
  • 14mm - for the shock top mount nuts.
  • 17mm - for the lower shock mount and lateral bar.
  • 21mm - lug nuts.

Eventually, I discovered that I also needed

• A sawzall.
• An angle grinder.
• A 2000 Toyota Tacoma with a winch and/or tow strap. :rofl:

Unlike the front, the rear end of a 4Runner really needs to be done as a whole - you can't do one side and then the other like you can on the front - because the solid axle needs to be able to drop pretty far down in order to get the springs in/out of each side. So, the first step is to jack up the whole back of the truck and get both wheels removed. As you do this, make sure to support the frame on jack stands, and the rear diff with your floor jack - you don't want it putting too much strain on the rear brake line when you remove the shocks from the axle.


Then, to make your life much easier, I recommend removing the sway bar as well. You don't need to remove the sway bar links, just remove the sway bar itself from the rear axle - two bolts on each side - and then pull the sway bar out of the way.

You may also need to remove the lateral bar from the attachment point to the passenger side frame - that will allow you to drop the rear axle just a bit more - I needed it lower on the driver side to squeeze in the spring. Of course, that led to a minor different issue for me, but I'm getting ahead of myself.


With the truck up in the air and the sway bar (at least) removed, the next step is to remove the old shocks. The bottoms are easy - remove the single 17mm bolt and pry the shock off of the mounting post. If it gives you trouble, a pitman puller can make this an easy process.


Then, it's time for the top. And if you're anything like me, you'll be puzzled for a bit. It is not immediately obvious how to remove the top of the shock. In the end, I had to internet it.

There's no easy way to say this - Toyota really screwed the pooch here. The upper shock mounts are nearly impossible to access - they are recessed in a cup that's up next to the body, collecting dirt (and therefore rust) and stymieing any attempt to remove the top nut of the shock unless it's never gotten wet.

So the right thing to do is to cut it out. Get a grinder - or even better a sawzall - and figure out the best way to get an angle on the very top of the shock - right where it goes into the cup. The idea here is to cut the post off of the top, so that the shock falls to the ground, and you can just pull the post out of the cup.


For me, that meant unclipping several of the ABS sensor wire clips and moving that away from the cutting area. Only then did I feel confident that when I used the sawzall on the driver side and the grinder on the passenger side, that there wasn't anything in danger of being cut that shouldn't have been.


A bit of burning-rubber-stink later, and you should have the shock free from the upper mount - the shock body will fall to the ground, and you can retried the top of the post from the cup (along with a bunch of dirt). Laying everything out, this is what I ended up with:


Knowing I was close to getting everything disassembled, I plowed ahead - lunch be damned. The old springs were pretty well shot - likely the original on the truck - and so it didn't take much effort to angle the rear axle a bit in order to slide them out.


From there, it was a reasonably simple matter of re-assembly in the reverse order. I pulled the bump stops out of the old coil springs and inserted them into the tops of the new springs before forcing the new springs into position on the rear axle. This was the point where I needed the lateral bar in order to get the driver side of the axle to drop low enough to fit the new spring, but it went easily enough once that was done.

Then, the new shocks simply bolt in place - the only thing to be careful of is that you've got all the parts installed in the right order: lower bushing in the lower eye of the shock; shock, capture washer, bushing, capture washer (with small lip), <evil vehicle cup mount>, bushing, capture washer, top nut.


I found it easiest to install the shock on the lower mount first (torque to 72 ft-lbs), and then to release the compression clamp that it shipped with. As the shock uncompressed, guide it up into the evil cup mount at the top of the frame, and then slide the second bushing and capture washer on before tightening down the top nut until it bottoms out.

Then, re-attach any ABS clips you've removed as well as the sway bar (assuming you're keeping the sway bar on your truck). Finally, grab the 17mm bolt that holds the lateral bar in place and re-insert and tighten it to spec (72 ft-lbs).

Or, in my case, don't. :annoyed_gaah: For the life of me, I couldn't get the holes to align. I tried several different things ranging from ratchet straps to the floor jack to get them back into alignment, eventually wondering, "Wonder what happens if I drive it without it being attached? Probably the axle slides out of the truck. Cool."

But then, I realized I had a hammer for every screw. I pulled out the Tacoma and hooked up a tow strap. That was more than enough force to pull everything back into place!


And with that, I was done. New suspension all around on the 4Runner - now, one step closer to family adventure vehicle, and also ready for an alignment. And alignment that still needs to happen, now three weeks later!

Say it with me now... what. a. slacker.

Fabricating Sliders for the 4Runner
January 9, 2019.

With winter here and therefore the weather a bit crappier, it's a generally a good time to take stock of the truck and perform the maintenance and modifications that will keep it going strong for another year. This year however is a little different - there's not just one vehicle that needs attention - there are two!

In fact, the still relatively new-to-us 4Runner might even be the more important vehicle to get right, since it'll be the one we take when we venture out with @mini.turbodb.

There are only a few things on tap for the 4Runner since it won't be our extreme #instaexpedition mobile, and the first of those things is one I'm not sure we'll really ever use for their intended purpose: sliders. However, we (and especially the little one) will use them all the time for convenience of getting in-and-out of the truck, and if we're going to have "steps," they are going to be functional (damn it!)

At any rate, I'd picked up a weld-yourself kit of steel pipes and plates way back at the beginning of November 2018 (gasp, two months earlier) and I figured that a rainy day was as good as any to get them positioned, welded up, and installed.

Of course, I was getting ahead of myself and overestimating the amount of work I could do in a day - nothing new, for sure.

I got started by forgetting to take any photos of figuring out the position of the sliders on the side of the 4Runner - a big part of the reason you're reading all this text. See - most of the pieces just weld together, but I had to figure out how far out from the frame I wanted the sliders to sit.

I knew I wanted them closer in (tighter) than on the Tacoma, but I still wanted them protruding enough to be used as steps, and platforms for accessing anything stored on the roof. At any rate, I eventually figured out the necessary length for the legs and got to cutting.


Patting myself on the back for remembering to take a single photo of perhaps the most boring part of the build, I promptly forgot to take photos again, and got to tacking and welding the various pieces of the sliders together. It was only when I got to the part of welding the legs onto the main slider that I realized - oh right, my camera is sitting over there for a reason.

Luckily, this was an interesting part of the build, so I proceeded to take a crappy photo showing how I used a couple of triangular blocks of wood to hold the slider in the right position to weld on the legs - the welding table serving as a plane to keep them all perfectly aligned.


That worked well, and I proceeded to tack each leg in four places (at 90º's to each other) so that as I fully welded the leg, I wouldn't get any deformation in one direction or another. Then I moved the sliders to the ground and proceeded to continue welding. Once again, picture-less.


With the legs secured, the next order of business was positioning the frame plates - a task that required careful balancing and alignment - so I fetched @mrs.turbodb to hold the slider while I once again tacked everything in place.


Further welding ensued and as is often the case, it wasn't until I had only 3" of weld remaining when my spool of welding wire ran out. Luckily I'd purchased an extra spool and so it was a quick change to get up and running again - much nicer than having to run to the store, or order something online!

In no time, the sliders were completely welded and to my surprise, they looked decent. I mean, there might still be a couple little blobs of pigeon poop on a couple joints, but many of them look like they were done by someone with eyesight. And, even better - all the bits that are supposed to line up, and be planar with each other, are!

It's a miracle really, I'd say.


Of course, by now it was starting to get dark and it was clear that there was no possible way I was going to get these things primed, painted dried, and welded to the 4Runner in the 39ºF rainy weather (perhaps I was just a tad optimistic with what I could accomplish earlier in the day) so I decided this would be a good place to stop for the day.

Plus, it would let me stew on a decision I'd been avoiding: spray paint or powder coat?

I knew I wanted powder coat - not for the bottom of the sliders, those will get chewed up by rocks over time no matter what, but it'd be nice to have the tops powder coated so that as people step in-and-out of the truck, their feet don't wear off the paint - which would surely happen with spray paint. But powder coat here is expensive. The cheapest of the three quotes I'd gotten was $300 - significantly more than I'd paid for the kit in the first place, and of course nearly $300 more than spraying them myself.

But then, as I was resigning myself to a life of re-spraying the sliders where foot traffic wore off the paint, I got one more lead on a reasonably-priced, quality powder coater - Carl, of Carl's Powder Coating. He was awesome, coming in at less-than-half of the next highest bid and so I arranged to take the sliders his direction at a time convenient for both of us.


April 4, 2019.

It wasn't for a couple months that I could get back out to Carl's - the tough life of trips and whatnot getting in the way. But when I finally did in early April, I couldn't have been happier with the result. He'd clearly done good prep and the result was fantastic. And now, I was finally ready to install the sliders on the 4Runner.


First, I positioned them. I knew that I'd have to do this a couple times, since I wanted them relatively tight to the body - this first positioning allowing me to mark the body pinch weld so I could notch it where the slider legs would connect the frame and slider rails. I found that fully bending the pinch weld where I'd notched it was easiest done with a 2x4 stood on-end, on my floor jack, essentially pressing the pinched steel up into the body of the 4Runner.


Pinch weld taken care of, the sliders went back into place and I prepped the frame and tacked them in several places. I wanted to make sure that they'd clear everything (doors opening and closing, etc.) before fully welding them on. To my amazement, I'd seemed to have measured correctly and they fit just fine - enough, but not too much room between the sliders and the body, and the bottom of the doors. We all get lucky sometimes.


With everything seemingly right, I finished welding - which, by the way, I really don't enjoy downhill mig - I much prefer uphill and once again got everything cleaned up before spraying any remaining raw metal with a bit of paint.


And with that, we had sliders. Or steps, if we're being honest with ourselves. :rofl:

You are modest. Nice work!

IMO, a huge value add of sliders is side impact protection. I got the 4Runner with my family in-mind (would have gone Tacoma if no kids), and I've seen a few t-bone impacts over the years, by other vehicles mostly, trees and other objects too, and sliders can be life-savers. The family views them as side bumpers of sorts... Nothing more precious than life itself.

Your build has purpose and I'm enjoying it.

TonyB66 said:

You are modest. Nice work!

IMO, a huge value add of sliders is side impact protection. I got the 4Runner with my family in-mind (would have gone Tacoma if no kids), and I've seen a few t-bone impacts over the years, by other vehicles mostly, trees and other objects too, and sliders can be life-savers. The family views them as side bumpers of sorts... Nothing more precious than life itself.

Your build has purpose and I'm enjoying it.

Click to expand...

Thanks, glad you're enjoying! I've definitely learned a lot with the Tacoma, so it's nice to have a T4R that's so similar to wrench on and look like I know what I'm doing .

I've always wondered about that with sliders. Seems like the frame is right there anyway, but I suppose they help to reinforce it a bit or at least stick out an extra foot or so.

flooredrunner said:

Which sliders are you using if you don't mind me asking?

Click to expand...

Here are the sliders you were wondering about. I bought the pieces at NWTI for a lot less than they are currently asking (maybe there's more pre-assembly now? :noidea, and then welded them up myself.

turbodb said:

...I've always wondered about that with sliders. Seems like the frame is right there anyway, but I suppose they help to reinforce it a bit or at least stick out an extra foot or so...

Click to expand...

Their sticking outward helps keep impacting objects from protruding or further protruding into the cabin.

I've now seen a couple Tacoma guys come here, knowing what they want, as well as their away around a 4Runner. So much in common...

turbodb said:

Finally, grab the 17mm bolt that holds the lateral bar in place and re-insert and tighten it to spec (72 ft-lbs).

Or, in my case, don't. :annoyed_gaah: For the life of me, I couldn't get the holes to align. I tried several different things ranging from ratchet straps to the floor jack to get them back into alignment, eventually wondering, "Wonder what happens if I drive it without it being attached? Probably the axle slides out of the truck. Cool."

But then, I realized I had a hammer for every screw. I pulled out the Tacoma and hooked up a tow strap. That was more than enough force to pull everything back into place!

Click to expand...

You should be loosening (but not removing) all the pivot bolts on all 5 links when you lift (10 places). If you did that, the process is simple - ALL the droop, none of the re-alignment issues. Keep a jack under the rear diff to avoid dropping the axle too far. Re-tighten at ride height, and all the bushings will be in their relaxed state and you will give them the longest life possible.

Same deal on the front suspension. Loosen the upper pivot bolt and lower adjustment cams (and find out NOW if they are seized, before you get to the alignment shop!) - all the droop, easy to align the shock lower bolt, though you then have to jack the bottom arm UP to align it. Re-tighten at ride height for relaxed bushings at the new ride height.

As a general rule of thumb, every rubber bushing should be tightened at ride height... (if you go poly and/or heim, it is no longer an issue)

-Charlie

TonyB66 said:

Their sticking outward helps keep impacting objects from protruding or further protruding into the cabin.

I've now seen a couple Tacoma guys come here, knowing what they want, as well as their away around a 4Runner. So much in common...

Click to expand...

Yeah, I can see how having them stick out would help slightly, at least theoretically. my guess is that in reality, with most of the cars and trucks on the road these days being SUVs and pickups, that the majority of them would likely have impacts above the sliders.

But hey, if the thing I was most worried about was safety, I wouldn't have purchased a 97 4Runner. :bounce:

And don't get me wrong, I still love my 1st Gen Tacoma. It's still the main adventure vehicle, but this 4Runner will be great when we take the kiddo along, and allows me to have the DD experience that the Taco used to be but is now over built for.

phattyduck said:

You should be loosening (but not removing) all the pivot bolts on all 5 links when you lift (10 places). If you did that, the process is simple - ALL the droop, none of the re-alignment issues. Keep a jack under the rear diff to avoid dropping the axle too far. Re-tighten at ride height, and all the bushings will be in their relaxed state and you will give them the longest life possible.

Same deal on the front suspension. Loosen the upper pivot bolt and lower adjustment cams (and find out NOW if they are seized, before you get to the alignment shop!) - all the droop, easy to align the shock lower bolt, though you then have to jack the bottom arm UP to align it. Re-tighten at ride height for relaxed bushings at the new ride height.

As a general rule of thumb, every rubber bushing should be tightened at ride height... (if you go poly and/or heim, it is no longer an issue)

-Charlie

Click to expand...

Interesting, thanks Charlie.

Both my Haynes manual, and the FSM didn't mention simply loosening bushings, nor have the instructions from various lift resellers that I've seen.

I wonder if in practice, these 20 year old trucks are never in good enough shape when it comes to the bushings etc, and so it is nearly required to unbolt various components.

Even disconnecting the sway and lateral bar, I had to push down on the rear axle to get it to droop low enough to install the new, longer springs. (And that was also the case on a 5th gen Runner I did recently.)

Anyway, I like the idea of loosening the lower control arm cams since you're going to get an alignment anyway - those LCAs always seem to be the limiter to me on the front.

Also interesting how different my Tacoma was from a droop perspective in the front compared to this 4Runner (where I have no idea how it was treated for the first 260,000 miles) - so clearly long-term maintenance etc. make a difference.