[phattyduck]

I just noticed you connected your frame to the body there... they move a lot compared to each other, especially in the back area. That may not be so good for longevity.

-Charlie

[TonyB66]

Originally Posted by phattyduck

I just noticed you connected your frame to the body there... they move a lot compared to each other, especially in the back area. That may not be so good for longevity.

-Charlie

Crap, you are right Charlie. To be clear, the body being where those side brackets mount to the underside of the floor? That will be a problem, so I'll remove those anchor points. They were not part of the original sketch, but saw where I could add some additional support. Thanks again.

[phattyduck]

Originally Posted by TonyB66

Crap, you are right Charlie. To be clear, the body being where those side brackets mount to the underside of the floor? That will be a problem, so I'll remove those anchor points. They were not part of the original sketch, but saw where I could add some additional support. Thanks again.

Yeah, it looks like the rest of your under-floor storage is only connected to the frame. There is as much as 1/2" of movement either way between the frame and body back there - just make sure there is clearance for that movement.

-Charlie

[TonyB66]

Gosh, early retirement has never had me so busy, unfortunately most of the time ironing-out separation matters like various mistakes by my employer, dealing with financial institutions, moving stock, COBRA, etc. Add that it's tax season, it's not the type of busy I'd most prefer...

Just yesterday I finally made time remove those attachment points to the body. Thanks again Charlie for catching that mistake.



The wife and kids are happy that we can stash-away 20 bottles of drinking water when we go on trips. Unfortunately, no Tahoe trip again this year, due to the pandemic...

Also with safety in-mind, something I've been wanting to do...



Amazon.com: Oralite Solas Reflective Tape M82 1404 Flexible & Conformable (1000+ Candelas): Sports & Outdoors

That's reflective tape. After a fair amount of searching, I decided upon Oralite's M82 SOLAS product. The 5-foot length was put to good use..

For side visibility, I put two pieces on the Antero rack, both sides.



From the rear.





From the front.





At night, the stuff certainly is noticeable...





I'll get back to finishing-up storage projects after the taxes are done...

[TonyB66]

A note to self, almost forgot... Battery replaced in early Feb 2021.

With the 40-month battery I purchased at THD shortly after buying the Runner fading with a couple months left (12.05v at rest) on it, I brought it in for a "comparable" exchange. The specs on this new one (Exide Sprinter) are a bit less though, but it didn't cost me anything.

I imagine I'll splurge a few years down-the-road...

[TonyB66]

Never thought I'd be so busy in retirement, mostly in a good way lately thankfully, compared to last time (employment separation details). Looking at real estate outside CA, but only if both my parents would be willing to join us. That seems to have changed, so that's up-in-the-air now. As odd as it might sound, looking at real estate in Italy! I've been a citizen since birth actually but now with some time, I've been pursuing recognition of such with the Italian government. Basically a ton of work to get certified copies of every major life event, get those Apostilled by the Sec of State and translated into Italian. About done though on completing the "package"...

So... to tie this into a 4Runner update, I got up early this morning to get docs from the County Superior Court and decided to leave the family car at home for the wife. While backing-up the 4Runner, I turned the wheel sharply and felt a pop, then the brake pedal went to the floor and the brakes barely worked. I knew exactly what happened... Took the family car to Superior Court instead, and good thing I did.





When I installed the new front end-links I routed the flex lines differently. I was going to re-visit... On the steep part of the driveway, cutting the wheel to full lock was too much.

Do we have different length flex line options? I'll need to order something... I really should get a new brake fluid reservoir too. I keep putting it off thinking I'll likely upgrade the MC at some point.

Thanks to another great idea from @JZiggy , I did what I think is a pretty cool mod a couple or so weeks back...

Drilled some holes on the backside of that storage area in the rear.



For this light which hooks-up to the trailer electrical connector. When I use the trailer, I'll simply disco this light



Amazon.com: 16" 12 Red LED Trailer Light Bar [Brake + Sequential Turn Signal] [DOT FMVSS 108] [SAE S2I6U2PS] [IP67 Submersible] Running Marker ID Rear Trailer Tail Light Bar for 80" Utility Marine Boat Trailers: Automotive

From within the storage area...



Another improvement in the see and be seen department. No photos of it lit, but it's quite noticeable.

[TonyB66]

It has been a while and honestly, it would have been even longer if this didn’t happen yesterday.



I remembered that I purchased a Toyota 200k mile club decal a couple years ago. I found it, and home for it here.



When I purchased the 4Runner in late Oct 2017, it had about 191k miles on it, so we’ve done about 9k miles in four years…

As a matter of follow-up, regarding my previous post in March, I did of course replace that ripped flex brake line. Got a pair of StopTechs.



I was able to dedicate more time to route experimentation, wheel turning, and decided upon this set-up. The zip ties are for the ABS…



As I recall, the banjos were bottoming-out and not sandwiching very tightly. After some reading, this is likely an issue with the Tundra calipers I purchased. I didn’t find any banjos with shorter thread depth, so I bored them. I wasn’t so keen on using multiple crush washers.



They did snug-up much better…

While I believe the routing will prevent this from happening again, I realize an off-road scenario can do the same. I wanted a way to cap the hard line here.



I didn’t find anything to accomplish this though, so I got these brake line unions and bolts.





This stuff puts Loctite to shame!



I put them together, tightened, and done... Ready for any future need…







Sometime in the spring I got a quote for cutting tree limbs. With a 24’ extension ladder and 18’ pole saw, I got most of it done myself. A couple branches were out-of-reach though, enter the 4Runner.







Got them down, with some joining the firewood pile, the rest on the street in time for the free chipping service here.

For some reason, maybe because I miss driving the MINI, I began driving the 4Runner hard into this one uphill turn near our home. Sometime thereafter when I popped the hood I noticed this.



Damn. The 24FX didn’t seem like the best fit with that tie-down bracket. Found a could pieces of scrap metal, properly positioned the battery, inserted the pieces and secured the battery, tightening it a few times over a couple days.





I’ve taken that turn hard since, and the battery has not budged (Sharpie marks to indicate such)…

I believe I added a few more items to the attic rack in the rear. What I have there now…



I still need to make time to read-up on how to calibrate the UltraGauge Blue with our 3rd gen. Maybe there's a good thread here that would help. At fill-ups it states to set the ignition to run, but engine off, yet when I do that the UG never sees the 4Runner. I have to start the engine. That all said, I think I have the mpg pretty accurate. Local driving, probably 70% city roads, 30% highway, I’m pretty close to 15 mpg.



Oh, earlier I mentioned that I was selling a gull-winged kit car and once listed, it sold in about one week. I believe I included a photo of it here... Funny, on the way to where it was garaged Timmy the Toolman pulled-up next to me on the freeway! A pleasant surprise. That was a couple months back...

I think that’s it, not that much I know…. Hope this finds everyone well.

[TonyB66]

I never purchased a dash cover before, but I think one would be better than old pillow cases!



If anyone has a good recommendation, please do share...

No meaningful updates. I'm starting to think about mods again though! That's a start, right? I have busted CV boots, for several months now, and RCV axles just sitting there, so that will likely top the list, finally, probably after the New Year...

Got my family living trust done! Just turned 55 in quite good health I'm happy to report, but this is something I've been wanting to do in my first year of retirement. Got my pop, in his 80s, to do his too. Probate sucks, so if you have not done so yet, something to think about. It's a somewhat morbid process, but important...

Oh, I sold another OEM part a few weeks back. Just 10 bucks, front and rear bump stops... My current running total is now up to $1,660:

$400 - Leather Front Seats

$50 - Factory Stereo & Amp

$75 - Cargo Privacy Cover

$50 - Skid Plates (2)

$150 - Rear Bumper

$25 - Spare Tire Crank

$200 - Front Bumper

$50 - Roof rack cross members

$50 - Front bumper carrier

$75 - Trailer hitch

$100 - Front shocks

$350 - Wheels/tires

$25 – Front brakes

$20 - Intake silencer tube

$30 – Mats (three, no driver)

$10 - Front & rear bump stops

Another 340 dollars to reach $2k! We'll see...

In the above post I mentioned I sold a gull-winged kit car, called an Aquila. I thought I had provided a photo of it here, but now that I checked, looks like I did not. I was probably thinking of my old dune buggy and FJ40. Here's a shot of it inside a 100 year old carriage house...



Based upon a modified '69 VW, so it has IRS. To keep it light, I wanted to put a 13B in there, back-in-the-day...The buyer said he'd let me know when done. I had it like 70% complete.

[TonyB66]

Met with Timmy The Toolman today and he helped me install the RCV Ultimate IFS CV Axle Set and the East Coast Gear Supply's front diff PTFE bushing (replaces the front diff needle bearing). Finally! I purchased these items a couple years back, actually a few months before the pandemic... I remember getting the axle set for $1,600 delivered on some 4th of July special, not direct from RCV, but through a Northridge 4x4. Like most things, they have gone up in price.

Ultimate IFS CV Axle Set for Toyota Tacoma ('95.5-'04) and 4runner ('95-'02)

The ECGS diff bushing:

TOYOTA 7.5" CLAMSHELL CV AXLE BUSHING

Member "theesotericone" has very positive feedback on this set, namely that he has yet to break one. The only criticism I recall was that the CV boot clamps suck, and should be replaced. After inspection, I too felt the same, but only with the smaller clamps. The larger outer ones look quite stout.







So, I replaced the smaller clamps and failed to take a photo. Here's a shot after installation, which doesn't show much though...



The box of stuff I brought over to Tim's house...



Since the front diff gear oil was changed about 3k miles back, it was not drained. We jacked-up one side at a time and in total I lost maybe 3/4 of a cup. I topped it off when the job was done, using a new crush washer...

Having the right tools certainly helped. Tim has the updated ECGS tool to remove the factory front diff needle bearing. It worked exceptionally well. Tim also had a really cool tool used to properly set the front diff oil seals to the correct depth of 5.5mm. As another member here had done, I too iced the ECGS bushing to help it insert more easily.



The only snag we hit was not being able to get a straight shot on that bushing and the two new oil seals, to drive them inward. The King coils were in the way, so we removed the lower mount bolt for each and swung them out of the way. We were then able to squarely drive those into the diff. I took just a few photos...

Needle bearing out:



ECGS bushing installed:



Driver side oil seal installed:



The RCV axles don't have a flange on them like the OEM ones, which many use to tap or pry them out, and also to drive them into the diff. To insert these, we simply held them parallel to the ground and struck the ends with a brass hammer (35mm nut threaded). Pretty easy.

Not seen, we also needed to separate the outer tie rod and LBJ. Those were replaced somewhat recently and were quite easy to pop free. We then just swung the knuckle rearward, and with baling wire, secured it out of the way.

The impetus for finally doing this upgrade was the condition of the CV boots and some noises I began hearing a few weeks back.





Well, I still hear those noises. I figured it was the CV joints starting to fail, but I now suspect it's the front sway bar end links... I'll figure it out. Happy it compelled me to finally install the RCV axle set and that ECGS bushing.

[TonyB66]

As a matter of follow-up, that noise was indeed the front sway bar end links. Double-nutted, tightened and the noise is gone. Cleaned them up and did my usual marking to quickly notice if they move.



At 4,163 miles since the last oil change (per the UltraGauge Blue), I decided to do some maintenance, at this mileage on the odometer.





Ran an errand in the 4Runner in the evening, got the engine oil up to operating temperature, then let it drain overnight. So dang fast & easy with the Fumoto valve!



Probably like many, I have an assortment of oil filter wrenches. It has been so long since I last did this job, it took a while to figure-out what wrench and angle would be best to remove the filter. Anyone here relocate the oil filter to a more desirable location, adding capacity in the process? I'd be open to such...

Looks like I'm not burning any oil.



Replaced engine's air filter too. Not all that dirty...



While under the 4Runner degreasing (CV jism), I noticed this plastic zip tie.



Dang, I then remembered... When getting an alignment 2+ years back the shop determined I had too much play in my steering. He removed the metal steering rack clamp to investigate, then zip tied. I was supposed to replace it, and totally forgot.

Figured I would try the same type of clamp and tool used on the CV boots, but that didn't work well here because the tool cannot get low enough to crimp the clamp.



I'm a fan of stainless steel zip ties for some applications, but I knew I would not be able to get one sufficiently tight by hand. I finally purchased a metal zip tie tensioning tool. With that tool I was not able to get metal zip tie tight enough as they kept breaking. So, I ordered more, including larger one (.31" wide).







The coolant overflow tank was a bit below the full line, so I added some, looks like a little too much...



With the leaves seemingly done falling, I removed some that had once again accumulated in this space below the A-pillar, on each side.



The shop vac with this extension does the job quite well...



The dang battery shifted again, about 1/4" (green marks)!



I'll need to figure-out a way to better secure it. I imagine the 24FX is the problem...

While cleaning-up I found the needle bearing that was removed.



Will inspect one more day, but so far no oil leaks or gear oil from the front diff. I will then reinstall the skids tomorrow. The family Tahoe trip is set for early April. We have not been since 2019...

[TonyB66]

I finally made some time to better understand my reserve fuel situation and what option I will use to transfer it to the 4Runner's tank, how much time it would take, how difficult, etc...

A couple weeks back I made a trip to the gas station, just to fill-up the aux tank and the one gallon gas "can."



When I had the tank made, I was I told it would be a little over 4 gallons...



I then filled the one gallon container and got about 5.25 gallons in total for both. I suppose I could have gotten a bit more fuel in there, but both were quite full.





I figure that much extra gas extends the range another 60-75 miles...

For simplicity, I decided to do the transfer through the fill cap opening. I pulled-out these supplies I had lying-around to ponder if I might go that route.



Such standard fuel pumps are typically rated at 30 GPH, and that is the case for one pictured above. So, to transfer the 4.2 gallons in the aux tank using the fuel pump, that would take about 8.5 minutes, if the rating is accurate, for this application. Then with the time time needed to pour the gas from one gallon container, I'd guess it would take at least 10 minutes in total to transfer the 5.25 gallon, using this set-up. A reference point...

After a couple of weeks of driving I got the fuel level sufficiently low.



With the 4Runner on pretty level ground I decided to do a manual transfer, and see how long it would take.









With several such transfers, I found that it took 1:15 from the aux tank to the container (aux tank fill cap cracked open).

And from there I could then pour into the 4Runner's tank...







It was my first time using this can and true to its claim and many reviews, not one drip. I'm impressed. Took some orienting to get it into the best position to drain it and once I figured that out, it takes 1:10 to do so...

Adding-up the transfer times alone, actual fuel movement with this process, I get just about 12 minutes. Then the time needed between the transfers, namely configuring the 1 gallon can multiple times, this manual process to transfer 5.25 gallons takes a little less than 15 minutes... I guess not so bad and it was easy.

I do have another transfer pump that would do all of it in like 2 minutes, but it's not rated for fuel. Plus, I don't want some big, heavy pump also. This was a fun exercise and I'm open to any ideas or thoughts...

Oh, and afterwards.

[octanejunkie]

How about an electric pump from aux to main tank off a switch in the cab?

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[phattyduck]

Originally Posted by octanejunkie

How about an electric pump from aux to main tank off a switch in the cab?

You should have a timer or level sensor, etc. if you do that. Don't want the transfer pump to stay on when the tank is empty.

I don't think I'd be a huge fan of doing the manual transfer thing - I'd like to be able to do the transfer while driving, or at least easily while stopped instead of keeping the extra tanks, etc. around...

Neither solution is easy/perfect. So personal preference wins out here.

-Charlie

[TonyB66]

Thank you both for chiming-in. Like plenty of others, I considered a few approaches, and I'm still open, but given how often I visualize myself doing this, the KISS approach currently wins-out at the time. Regardless, it will always be a back-up if I find a "better" way later...

That all said, I do like the idea of a timer switch. Any thoughts on a good fill location, maybe low on the fill tube/neck?

[octanejunkie]

Originally Posted by phattyduck

You should have a timer or level sensor, etc. if you do that. Don't want the transfer pump to stay on when the tank is empty.



I don't think I'd be a huge fan of doing the manual transfer thing - I'd like to be able to do the transfer while driving, or at least easily while stopped instead of keeping the extra tanks, etc. around...



Neither solution is easy/perfect. So personal preference wins out here.



-Charlie

I would have 2 fuel gauges (factory dash and aux on pod) and have considered a limiter on the external pump to shut off on the aux tank empty or after 5 mins. Both are easy to do.

I also thought about a momentary switch on the aux pump so it only runs when held down. I like this option most at the moment.

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