So, almost a year in, decided I should probably start a build thread. I've got a bit of a theme going to what I'm putting together, and I've tried some stuff out and am happy with where I'm going, so build time. I apologize in advance as some of the threads will not have as many pictures as they should. I'm not good about taking pictures while I'm working on things. That said, if there are questions or the like I'm happy to answer them.
Background: Moved to Albuquerque 3.5 years ago, and realized the commuters my wife and I had weren't going to cut it as adventuremobiles. Too many places we wanted to go beyond the pavement. We bought an Isuzu Rodeo, and the first trip got it completely stuck in goopy mud. Thus started my modifications to vehicles and my travel down the rabbit hole.
Unfortunately, after about 18 months of adventures, we got stuck driving home in a snow storm and flipped the thing outside of Farmington in northern NM. Everybody walked away, but we decided the next vehicle had to have at a minimum some kind of stability control and curtain airbags. For offroading, I wanted at a minimum low range and I was not a fan of pickup trucks. That combo pretty much meant a 4th gen or newer 4runner or a land cruiser.
Finding the one: We searched for a while. We test drove a new 5th gen, thinking we might replace my wife's DD with one. The nose dive did not impress us, and the handling of the 5th gen in general kind of scared us. We liked the way the Tacoma handled, but seating was limited. We kept looking.
At a family reunion, one of my Aunt's had a 4th gen limited v8. I asked if we could take it for a whirl, just to see how we liked it. All the handling we hated on the 5th gen was gone, and the v8 had go! This particular example had no XREAS, no rust, 178k miles, a v8, and a good price. We bought it, and Dec 31, 2019 we had our new runner back in NM.
Build Goals:
This build is intended as a light rock crawling or serious overlanding build, but with an emphasis on "bang for your buck" both in terms of mod dollars and weight. My wife loved the way it drove stock, and I wanted that to stay even as we upgraded the vehicle. It needs to be comfortable doing a trail like Elephant Hill or Fins and Things in Moab, but I'm not intending to throw 35's on it or anything like that.
Current Build:
I'll update this as I make changes. The rest of the thread I'll do one post for each set of mods/repairs. It will probably take me a few days of posting to get caught up with where I'm at today.
- Armor:
RSG Rock Sliders (Post 5)
RCI Aluminum Skid Plates (Post 56)
Outpost Offroad Control Arm Skid (Post 41)
- Tires and Suspension
Eibach Pro-Truck Lift Kit (Post 9)
Sway-away rear coils (Post 41)
Swaybar relocation bracket (Post 57)
255/80r17 Falken AT3W Load E Tires (Post 12)
FJ Cruiser Wheels (Post 12)
DIY Sliding Swaybar Disconnects (Post 59)
- Overlanding Stuff
Rola Vortex Rack w/ 4xInnovations Mounts (Post 14)
Offroad Gear Awning (Post 14)
- Misc. Other Mods
Rear Window Up Mod (Post 37)
Inclinometer (Post 19)
Scosche Magnetic Mount (Post 19)
Washer Bottle Relocation(Post 39)
Diff Breather Mod (Post 39)
Cali Raised LED USB charger (Post 19)
240 Amp BNR Alternator (Post 65)
Repairs:
This is a by no means exhaustive list of repairs that have been done to the vehicle. References to posts if its one I've written about. Feel free to ask me questions about any of them. Our trucks are reliable, but this is still a car with 175k miles on it, so I wanted to keep some kind of track of the repairs that needed to be done. No particular order, just how I put them in.
- CV Axles Post 2, more discussion posts 21-30ish
- Timing Belt and Water Pump Post 2
- Thermostat Post 2
- Coolant Drain and Fill Post 2
- Power Steering Fluid Change Post 2
- ATF Fluid Change Post 13
- Radiator Cap
- ATF Hose replacement
- 5th Gen Brake Retrofit
- AC/Heat blower motor
- Actuator breather hose Post 53
- Swaybar bushing replacement Post 57
- PCV valve replacement Post 58
- Power steering pump Post 65
- High Output Alternator Post 65
