Awning update... I realized if I trimmed this area a bit I could shift the awning backward another couple inches and still clear the hatch. Upgraded to stainless flanged button bolts for ease of install.



I added a magnetic mount to the front to stabilize it especially on the highway.

Hot damn, nice move. I was quietly wondering, not having a full length rack (same here), if it might be inclined to flop-around a little under impact and at speed, getting strained and acting as a lever. Brilliant.

Nice excellent very good and awesome brain and handy work! The whole bracket deal is smart and clean, the magnet bracket too.

I’m glad you also appreciate a good bracket

You know I have a thing for brackets, doo-dads, and whatchamathingies,
especially when they're fabricated to fit a need. You don't disappoint.

JBA upper control arm update #2

I love these UCAs and really the only fault I have found is the four bolts holding the joint to the arm. Here's why I hate them:
- SAE
- Grade 5 bolt, grade 8 nut
- Not flanged, no washers

So, the obvious thing to do was upgrade to some flanged 10.9 M8-1.25 bolts (30mm long if you want to know). Since these are higher test I upped the install torque to 26 ft-lb from the original 20 ft-lb. The yellow zinc coating is also more corrosion resistant than clear/silver zinc. They do not interfere with the boot at any suspension height.







Tell me that doesn't look better??

Way better! And perfect timing, since my JBA's are arriving tomorrow!

I like the upgrade. It's the little things.

Ahhh, that's better, and it makes more sense.

Nice rig, you have a remarkable attention to detail and documenting those details as well.

How was the quality on those depo headlights you ran? I saw you switched over to a retrofit earlier this year. I'm looking at running the depo headlights with a relay harness like you had as well. I'm not expecting it to compare to projectors, but I'd like a little extra light and my OEM housings have started to peel on the inside and they're pretty well covered in dirt/dust inside too which I'm sure cuts the reflectivity.

Of course I'd love to go with a retrofit, but bad past experiences with a retrofit and constantly having to swap bad bulbs and ballasts (despite being a good brand) have me not sold on going that route. There's something nice about the simplicity of halogen bulbs.

Thanks dude!

I ran the Depos for a year or two. They looked nice but the beam quality was poor. Probably better than OEMs with peeling reflective media though.

My opinion is to go with BX Built LEDs in whatever housing you want. They are quality units and have 50k hour lifespans. The output is so much better than the reflectors.

nice setup man

More awning updates... I read some reports that the rivets can fail (!!!) causing the awning to separate from the aluminum backing plate. Some folks have suggested thru-drilling in a couple of places and putting a bolt through. I added three such bolts and put one in each of the mounting brackets so the bolt captures the awning, backing plate, and bracket -- don't think it can fall off now!

The next major 4Runner project is underway. I'll be pulling the transmission for a rebuild and changing out the clutch. I'm sure there will be some bonus mods that happen along the way as well.

Why? Toyota replaced the clutch on this truck 100k ago (previous owner) but I think neglected to turn the flywheel. It chatters when cold and it has gotten increasingly touchy. My synchros are feeling work with 285k on them and some gears have a bit of bearing noise. This seems to translate to some rattles into the shifters as well. Just time for a refresh!

Part 1 -- getting the transmission out

I'm very fortunate to have the help of @fourfive for a big project like this. He provided the tranny jack and helped me pull the drivetrain.

Grubby old W59!







Toyota-stamped Aisin clutch didn't look to be in bad shape. It's getting replaced with a stock Aisin clutch kit CKT-051. I did not want to poly up for Marlin stuff just to have my clutch pedal be harder to push LOL



Fitting that the 1st gen gets to haul it over to the gear shop



Pulled the flywheel. The rear main isn't leaking but I'll change it anyway.



Old OEM flywheel vs a new China-made one from O'Reillys. All the research I did led me to the conclusion that all the aftermarket replacement options are China origin and that they typically work just fine. My rebuild guy recommended the ones O'Reillys carries... looks fine to me



More to come...

While the transmission is out I realized this would be a great opportunity to do some heat management work. For inside the cab the standard thinking is to use gooey mats like Dynamat but for underneath you need something that can handle much higher direct heat.

A found a product made specifically for insulating transmission tunnels:

It's a fairly thick sheet of dimpled aluminum with a fiberglass backing and adhesive. Not feeling the need to go overboard I just got their smallest 21"x24" product.

Cleaned up the area I intend to cover



Trim out the shifter hole (some other cuts were necessary to help it wrap)



Stick it on! I used a Dynamat rubber roller to help it stick down a little better. I used the "shifter donut hole" to beef up the little factory metal shield that sits right above the catalytic converter.



Install was quite easy overall. I had not worked with fiberglass in a while and I should've worn long sleeves and eye glasses to prevent getting itchy.

We'll see how this does in real world operation. There's a lot of heat from the bellhousing area so I expect it will help with floor temps and potentially a bit of sound attenuation as well.