THIS 4RUNNER HAS BEEN SOLD. PLEASE DON'T REPLY TO THIS THREAD. HERE IS THE LINK TO THE SURF RUNNER 2.0 BUILD THREAD: SURF RUNNER 2.0 Build, Maintenance & Modification: 2001 Stellar Blue Limited 4WD

I was lurking on this forum for a while and finally joined on December 11th, 2013. I purchased my 4Runner about a month before I joined. I've been making plans and slowly starting my build so I thought it was time I started the build thread for SURF RUNNER. I'll include most of what I've posted to date on the forum, so the first few posts on this thread will be an attempt to "catch up" to where I am now.

I live in College Station, Texas but I bought a 2001 4Runner in Kingsport, Tennessee. I was looking for an 01 or 02, Limited, 4WD in Stellar Blue. There were only two in the country - one in Oregon and the other in Tennessee. The one in Oregon sold before I had a chance to call so I made a deal on the 2001 in Tennessee. I completed the deal and picked it up on November 9, 2013.

The 4Runner looked even better than advertised. Here is a photo I took at HD Motors in Kingsport, TN. The T4R had 157,000 miles on it, but it looked like much less. The interior looked almost new - it even had the original Limited floormats in it. There is a little wear on the driver's seat, but other than that it looks great.





I didn't like the windscreens on the hood and windows so I took them off at the dealership. This photo shows the original wheels. These have since been replaced with 5-Stars.

My plans are to modify my 4Runner to be a blend of everything I like about the 3rd Generation 4Runners. There will be some elements from the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) Hilux Surf, some TRD upgrades, some from the Mexican Baja 1000 race, a little bit of the California and Hawaiian surf theme, and other influences from here in the U.S and this forum.

My background in modifying vehicles is from a 2001 C5 Corvette that I once owned. I'll try to find some pics later. This 6-speed navy blue metallic coupe had the following: Vararam cold air intake, carbon fiber supercharger hood, integrated brake cooling vents, long tube headers, high-flow cats, Corsa exhaust, and GS-D3 Goodyear non-runflat tires. I sold this Corvette in February 2010 to finance a move down to the Virgin Islands/Puerto Rico for a year and a half.

The plans for SURF RUNNER include:
- Rear Shrockworks bumper with tire carrier and jerry can mount (standard width; modified for 1" body lift); not mounting license plate in center of tire; fender flare extensions and mudflaps will be incorporated into the design
- Front ARB Taco Bumper (modified for 1" body lift and fender flare extensions)
- Rock sliders (probably Stubbs Welding)
- Whitson Metalworks full-length roof rack (sunroof option)
- Savage front and rear skid plate package
- 1" RB/4Crawler body lift
- 2.5" or 3" suspension lift to accommodate larger tires
- Mickey Washington Baja MTZs or Goodyear Duratracs; probably in the 285/75/16 size
- TRD or Doug Thorley headers
- Warn M8000 winch
- Kenwood double din navigation/stereo head unit
- Hilux Surf JDM 185 Field Monitor
- Sport hood (I want to try and make the scoop functional)

I'm going to paint the fender flares and limited cladding a medium metallic blue color that complements the Stellar Blue factory paint. The flare extensions that cover the stock bumpers will somehow be incorporated into my aftermarket steel bumpers. The steel front and rear bumpers and all of the "bars" or "tubes" on the vehicle will be painted a bright silver metallic color in a satin finish. This includes the rock sliders and the roof rack. I want to add some bars on the rear bumper that protect the rear quarters and tail lights - these will be painted the same silver color. I want to try and mount the license plate on the jerry can mount or somewhere else instead of on the wheel since I am going to have a 5-Star wheel/5th tire here. The skid plates and the recovery hardware (shackles, D-rings) will be painted olive drab/army green. I'm buying the olive drab 20 litre Wavian jerry can from 20 Liter (Olive Drab) Steel Wavian Jerry Can. I think the army green will look good against the silver painted steel.

This forum is outstanding... I look forward to getting to know my fellow 3rd Generation 4Runner owners.

One of the first purchases I made were the Weathertechs. I received my tan Weathertech floor liners/mats December 16th and was (and still am) very impressed. Here is the thread about the Weathertechs... Weathertech Floor Liners/Mats Installed - VERY IMPRESSED! I could not be more satisfied with my purchase. Mats for the 1st and 2nd row were $198 shipped - not cheap but well worth it in my opinion.

These mats fit like a glove - as you probably know they digitally scan the floor surfaces and these liners are specific to this generation 4Runner. The mats are more rigid that I thought they would be. The fit is so precise that the retainer clip slipped into the hole (without my help) while I was putting the drivers-side mat in.

Weathertech makes 3 colors - tan, gray and black. The colors are not specific for the 4Runner (or any vehicle). In my opinion the tan color looks good in the Limited leather tan (oak) interior. There is already at least three different color tans in the interior, so there isn't just one color to match. The tan liners have a slightly darker/richer look (sort of a caramel color) than the leather door inserts. Overall they complement the interior well in my opinion.

These floor liners are different from the all weather floor mats on the website, so don't be confused.

I'm still trying to decide between Goodyear Duratracs and Baja MTZs. Here is the thread from this discussion the second week of January... DURATRACS are my fallback, but I want the BAJA MTZs...Is this crazy 4 a daily driver? In the 265/75/16 size I had decided that the Duratracs were the best choice for me. Since then I have decided to (probably) move up to the 285/75/16 size. In this size the Duratracs are only available in E load, so the difference in noise and ride quality should be less than in the 265/75/16 size where you can compare a C load Duratrac to an E load Baja MTZ in the ride comfort category.

Below are some of my initial thoughts from the original post...

I want to buy a more aggressive tire for my daily driver. My 2001 T4R will be my only vehicle. If this was my weekend warrior runner I would definitely buy the MTZs, but I'm worried I might regret the purchase for a daily driver. I haven't hit any trails yet. I don't have any 4 wheeling experience to be honest. When I do go off-roading it will probably be just a few times a year.

I recently bought a 2001 Limited 4WD 4Runner. It still has the same tires that were on it when I bought it. They are BF Goodrich Radial Long Trail T/A tires in the 265/70/R16 size. To me it looks like these tires have 80% - 90% of the tread remaining. I have no complaints and they ride great, but I want to buy a more aggressive tire.

I like the Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs. I have stock 5-Stars, so I'll be getting 265/75/R16 in C load. These tires look great, have good reviews, and I was all set on them until I saw the Mickey Thompson Baja MTZs. WOW! The aggressive looks of this tire blew me away. It also comes in 265/75/R16, but is only available in E load. Unlike the Duratrac this is a true mud tire so I have some concerns.

I live in College Station, Texas (central Texas -actually it is southeast of the center of the state) so there is very little concern about performance on snow and ice. The price difference between the two tires isn't really a factor - I'll get the tires I decide on and sell the ones I have now. I went to Discount Tire this morning and they can get either tire for me. I wasn't sure they could get the MTZs because it wasn't on their website, but they confirmed that they can get them. I don't drive faster than 75 which is the speed limit on the highways in my area.

GOODYEAR WRANGLER DURATRACS :
Pros
- Aggressive looks, especially for an AT tire (or an AT/MT hybrid)
- Good reviews
- Should be a relatively smooth ride on the city streets and highways

Cons
- I usually like the white letters out, but not with WRANGLER. Obviously this word is associated with JEEP. I would probably just have the black letters facing out for this tire.
- Not sure how the ride would be compared to my current tires
- Doesn't look as aggressive as the MTZs
- There have been some concerns about quality/consistency since these aren't made in America. On the C loads the sidewall is relatively weak. I'll probably get the Discount Tire certs, so this isn't a huge concern

MICKEY THOMPSON BAJA RADIAL MTZs:
Pros
- Awesome, aggressive, cool factor, overkill makes me smile
- These would look great with the white letters out
- Reviews are good
- These are made by Cooper and I like the fact they are made in America

Cons
- Really the only concern is how they will feel compared to my current tire and/or the Duratracs.

Can anyone comment on the noise and vibration on these two tires compared to what is currently on my 4Runner? I like overkill (I used to own a C5 Corvette and it had long tube headers, high flow cats, Corsa exhaust - I had plans for a Magnacharger supercharger before I sold it), so being practical isn't always my top priority. Unless I find something I like more my default is the Duratracs. Do you think I will regret getting the MTZs on a 4Runner that will be on city streets and the highway most of the time?

GOODYEAR WRANGLER DURATRAC



MICKEY THOMPSON RADIAL BAJA MTZ



Below is my 4Runner with BF Goodrich Radial Long Trail T/A tires

I placed my order for my Shrockworks bumper on January 16th. Here is the link to that thread... Just ordered a Shrockworks rear bumper w/tire carrier and jerry can holder

Below is the first post...

Earlier today I placed my order for a Shrockworks rear bumper with the tire carrier and jerry can holder. I paid $75 extra for them to make adjustments in their mounting hardware for a 1" body lift.

I have a long list of things I want to do to my 4Runner (recent pic below), but I wanted to get this bumper order started since there is significant lead time involved.

Here is my plan for the Shrockworks rear bumper and how it will tie in with the rest of the vehicle. I welcome any and all comments. I have a visual in my head of how I want my 4Runner to look, but those of you who have been there and done that will have a lot to offer as far as advice on this part of the build. This post is all about bumpers, aesthetics, colors, and functional additions to the exterior. I'll start a build thread to address other areas of the build.

- The Shrockworks rear bumper will be the standard width with the tire carrier, jerry can mount, shackles, etc. The only thing I am opting out on is the license plate mount in the center of the 5th wheel. I just don't like how that rectangle looks inside the tire.

- I am getting the standard width even though I have limited flares. The reason is that I am going to get some custom work done later to extend the flares onto the bumper wing to make it look more factory. I don't know if I am going to try and alter the flare bottoms that are coming off or get something fabricated in steel that will be welded onto the bumper (and painted to match the flares above it) to extend the flares. Either way I think what I have in mind will look good.

- I will be getting an ARB Taco front bumper. Obviously the mounts will have to be altered to accommodate a 1" body lift as well. I read that this has been done before. The limited flare extensions will be added later to match what I am doing on the rear.

- Both bumpers will be painted a satin metallic silver color. I haven't selected the spray paint yet, but I want it to be something I can get easily (Duplicolor, Rustoleum, etc). On the rear only the horizontal bumper parts and wings will be painted silver. The tire carrier and jerry can mount framework will probably be painted Stellar Blue.

- The rock sliders (probably Stubbs Welding) will be painted this same silver color. I also have some ideas for some "body armor bars or tubes" and they will be painted silver as well.

- I am going to get a Whitson Metal Works full length roof rack, but I don't know if it would look better in silver or satin black. I would like to be consistent and paint all the "tubes" silver, but I don't want to do it on the roof rack if it isn't going to look good. I could really use some feedback here since I haven't make up my mind about this yet.

- Currently the flares and limited cladding are the stock Thunder Cloud color. Although Thunder Cloud is a great color I am going to paint all of these parts a medium blue. They will be a glossy metallic finish to match the shine of the Stellar Blue. The color will complement the Stellar Blue paint. I haven't picked it out yet, but it will be a steel blue, silver-blue, or some other blue lighter than Stellar Blue. It will not be a "carolina blue/baby blue/light blue" color. Obviously this color is critical - it must complement both the silver bumpers/armor and the Stellar Blue paint.

My plan is to integrate dimpled/perforated steel into different areas of the 4Runner. For example, in lieu of the mesh steel bottom on the roof rack I will use dimpled/perforated sheet metal instead. I will also have this same material welded on the bottom side of the rock sliders. This sheet metal might be silver or the medium blue color... not sure yet. I will try to integrate this sheet metal where appropriate. I've even thought about using this dimpled/perforated steel on the exhaust pipe extension (or extensions if I make it dual exhaust) to make them look like the ends of a machine gun you would see on a WWII fighter.



My front bumper will look similar to these...




My rear bumper will be similar to these...



Here are examples of the dimpled/perforated sheet metal I want to integrate into the design...




Here is what I am referencing for the exhaust pipe and maybe other areas where tube steel is used...





The blue color for the limited flares and cladding might look similar to one of these colors...






This "medium blue" color will be replacing the Thunder Cloud color on my 4Runner. Here is a pic of when I bought my 4Runner from the dealer in November.

I am planning to get a DNX Kenwood double din stereo/nav unit with a backup camera. I like the Kenwood models that are even better than the DNX570HD, but I'm not sure I want to spend that much money. Garmin navigation is a plus for me. I also like the user interface.

Here is my thread about the double din Kenwoods... Anyone installed a Kenwood DNX570HD head unit?

Kenwood DNX571HD


Kenwood DNX7140 installed



Kenwood DDX712 installed



Kenwood DDX418 installed

I sold my 1997 Limited 4Runner last Saturday. I sold it for $3,800 cash. I think it was worth $300 to $400 more, but I would have spent that much more on my auto insurance policy, frontage space rental, car washes, etc. Here is my for sale thread... http://www.toyota-4runner.org/sale-v...-$4-495-a.html

For anyone selling a 4Runner here is what I learned. I had the 4Runner priced right at $4,495. Here in Bryan-College Station a lot of people wait for their tax refunds to buy used vehicles so my timing was off. Three days before it sold I had lowered the price to $3,995 for a quick sale. I paid $20 for a listing on Cars.com and this was a complete waste of money. 95% of the inquiries on the 4Runner were from Craigslist and buyers seeing the car on the space I had rented on Highway 6 frontage. The calls were probably 50/50 from these two sources. Ultimately the buyer saw it on Highway 6. The frontage space cost me $85 (renewable month to month rate), but it sold in less than a month so I didn't have to renew.

I'm trying to find an ARB Taco bumper with some of the money I made from the sale... ARB Taco Bumpers on Back Order - Any ideas on how to find one in Texas?

Below is the listing info and photos from the original thread:

This 4Runner can be seen in College Station, TX on the Hwy 6 frontage road at Lock & Roll Storage (Between Harvey Rd and Cinemark).

I recently bought a 2001 Limited 4WD 4Runner so I'm selling my '97 4Runner. This 4Runner has THE ICONIC COLOR COMBINATION for a 3rd Generation (1996-2002) 4Runner. The paint is Desert Dune Pearl Metallic with Silver fender flares and Silver cladding/limited trim. The interior is tan/oak leather.

- 1997 2WD Limited 4Runner
- 162,850 miles
- Desert Dune Pearl Metallic
- Overall in good condition
- Solid 4Runner that drives good
- Retractable cargo shade
- Carpeted rear cargo mat
- Matching tan carpeted floor mats
- Moon roof
- Roof rack
- Retractable cup holders (dash and rear) are complete and work
- New OEM tan leather console lid
- OEM Toyota tinted lexan sunroof screen included, but not currently installed
- Tow hitch
- Antenna goes up an down when you turn on the radio
- AC blows cold and heater works
- New NAPA battery installed 12/19/13 (18 month replacement warranty transferable to new owner)
- Inspection is good until October 2014
- Oil, lube and filter changed on 10/23/13
- Tires are in good condition
- Original sales brochure and 2 owners manuals (one to keep by your computer)
- I think that the only things missing are the CD changer cartridge on the factory unit and the radio dial.
- Vin #JT3GN87R7V0029607

I learned a lot about modifying cars from my C5. Below are some photos of my 2001 6-Speed Corvette that I sold back in early 2010. I had decided to move down to the Caribbean for a while, so I had to sell it. At first glance it looks stock, but I actually did quite a few modifications to it. The build style was "Stock on steroids".

More later...

2001 Corvette Coupe
- 160,000 miles
- Daily driver, this high mileage car gets compliments all the time
- Navy blue metallic
- Oak interior with sports seats
- HUD display
- Vararam cold air intake
- LGM long tube headers
- High flow cats
- Corsa pace car (indy) exhaust
- Motor city mold carbon fiber supercharger hood
- Functional rear brake vents
- Powdercoated navy blue calipers
- Navy blue engine accents
- Black leather arm rests
- Cargo net
- Custom storage bins
- Steel mesh screens on all vents

At the bottom of this post is the most recent pic of my 4Runner. It is from Friday morning when we had a hard freeze (for Bryan-College Station). Here is the thread... A cold weather rookie in Texas tries to deal with a hard freeze!

Below is my original post...

I thought you guys up North might enjoy this little story. I'm not sure how I could have handled the weather worse - and this was just the first 20 minutes of my day...

Below is a photo I took Friday morning in College Station. In Texas we aren't used to dealing with this type of weather. My doors were frozen shut. I finally got one of the rear doors open and then did a contortionist move to climb into the driver's seat. After I started the car I turned on the heat and directed it to the windshield to help with melting the ice. I guess I was half asleep... for some reason didn't think about bringing a bucket of hot water from my apartment. I used to have a plastic ice scraper, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Anyway, while I have the heat on full blast I remember that my fuel gauge is below empty! I then turn on the windshield wipers to help with melting the ice. As soon as I can see out of the bottom 6 inches of the front windshield I drove 1/4 mile down the street to the gas station... made it!

So now I'm at the gas station and try and pop the gas filler lid... well, it is frozen shut. The mechanism that opens it is not nearly strong enough to function in these conditions. I beat on it a few times until enough ice was broken for it to finally open. I made a ton of rookie mistakes, but I don't know how you guys up North deal with this weather half the year!

Today the sun is shining and the temperature is probably around 65 degrees headed towards 70. Texas weather is bizarre sometimes. About a week ago it was so warm outside students in College Station were jogging with no shirts on (just the guys... relax).

Here is a mod I did in the parking lot before lunch earlier today. The time to install the driver's side grab handle is about 3 minutes.

About a month ago I went to a junkyard in Bryan to check out what was lying around as far as 3rd Generation 4Runners. I highly recommend doing this so you will know what the local parts "inventory" is. There were two 3rd Gen 4Runners at this junkyard. I bought a dash cup holder (for the '97 4Runner I sold) and a grab handle for $10. These items cost much more on eBay and at the dealership - and this doesn't include shipping.

On a side note regarding salvage yards... When I was visiting my brother in Kansas City over Thanksgiving I went to an area junkyard. This salvage yard had a nice silver 4Runner Sport that had just been wrecked. It had a sports hood with the hood scoop in perfect condition. I didn't ask the price, but it was probably reasonable. You never know what you might find in a junkyard.

I had thought about doing this mod a while back when I noticed there were 5 grab handles, but not one above the driver's door. I don't know why there isn't one on the driver's side. The bottom of the grab handle installed is at about the same level as the bottom of the door opening, so I don't think it is about the driver hitting his head on it when getting in. If this was the case why is there one on the passenger side? The passenger might be taller than the driver.

I saw a post where someone mentioned that because the Hilux Surfs have everything reversed (for right-hand drive) the grab handle holes are already there underneath the headliner. The next time I was in my 4Runner I felt for the holes and sure enough they were there. This mod has been done before - I'm not taking credit for it. Obviously Toyota wanted to manufacture as much as they could for both the 4Runner and Hilux Surf, so it is more cost efficient to have the holes on both sides and just cover up the driver side depending on the model. There are probably other instances we can use to our advantage involving the Hilux Surf. The one that comes to mind is the JDM Field Monitor.

This mod is so easy a monkey could do it...

Purchased at junk yard for $3 (cup holder was $7); Remember to get the screws and plastic covers


You can't see the holes beneath the headliner


Feel for the holes and mark with a pen; Puncture the headliner with the tip of a small phillips screw driver


Screw in the screws


Snap in the plastic covers


Looks exactly the same as the passenger side


Another ideas I have is getting an A Pillar grab handle and installing it horizontally on the passenger side dash between the air bag and the glove box. Does anyone know what is behind this area of the dash? Obviously I don't want to mess up anything with the air bag system or end up with two holes because the screws didn't "take". The light tan handle would have to be painted to match the darker tan color on this part of the interior. The A Pillar grab handle would look best here pointing down - not up. If it was easy to paint and screw this grab handle in this would be a nice mod. Jeeps and other recreational vehicles have a grab handle here.

Get one of these grab handles from a junkyard and paint it the darker tan color


Install it horizontally here (in the center of the area between the air bag panel and the glove box) if it will screw in correctly and not interfere with the air bag system or anything else

Below are photos of some of the 4Runners that have influenced my build plan. If I post a photo of your 4Runner here and haven't given you credit it isn't a slight - I have saved many images of 4Runners I like over the past several months and I don't know where they are all from. Many are from google image searches. If I posted a pic of your 4Runner here and didn't mention you please send me a PM and I'll add the credit above the photo.

Imogene has many things that I like including the WMW roof rack, ARB front bumper, 5-Star wheels with Duratrac 285s (I'm trying to decide between Duratracs and Baja MTZs), sport hood


The Kid has a great looking 4Runner - the color scheme, the lighting package on the ARB bumper, really clean look for a vehicle with a lot going on...


I love the silver ARB bumper on this 4Runner owned by drdolittlerwc.


... and this one


I like the Shrockworks rear bumper on this one...


... and this one


This 4Runner looks tough


SURF RUNNER will have some armor, but not this much!!! I might consider the lower tubes protecting the fender and wheel openings. I like how the lower bar comes off the ARB front bumper - on my 4Runner it would connect to my rock sliders.


I would like to add some bars on my Shrockworks bumper to protect the rear corners and tail lights. It won't look exactly like this CBI bumper, but that is the general idea.


Another view of these protective tubes...


This one looks good...


Tough doesn't even begin to describe this 4Runner!!


The Mickey Thompson Baja MTZs look great on this Limited

Reserved

I ordered my ARB Taco bumper yesterday. It should be here in a few days. It was difficult to find one since they are on back order as I detailed in the thread linked below...

ARB Taco Bumpers on Back Order - Any ideas on how to find one in Texas?

You definitely have a solid plan!

The TRD gunmetal grey rims would look good on your rig. Like the ones on the Black 4Runner with the snorkel and ARB bumper

love the color!