Apohl17's Iceberg Build Thread - Toyota 4Runner Forum

apohl17 · 08-02-2018, 06:35 PM

I hereby dedicate this thread to my second 3rd gen 4runner, the "Iceberg"

It's a 2000 Natural White 4runner SR5 w/ 211k on the bulletproof 3.4l V6 and a 4-speed auto transmission. 4.10:1 gearing.

Seeing the opportunity to get myself an extra 100k miles, I picked this up nearly two months ago to replace my bone stock '00 Sunfire Red Pearl with over 315k on the clock. Still would trust it to drive across the country, but that's another story in itself!

UPDATE: Sold to @Ponce11

Pics we all came to see...
The Iceberg on the 9th of January, 2019!

And for kicks, a stock pic, when purchased:

UPGRADES & MODIFICATIONS

Suspension:
Front:
2.5” Lift
-Fabtech 0-3” Adjustable Coilovers
-OEM LCA,UCA’s (for now)
-Energy Suspension Poly Sway Bar/ End Link Bushings
-Proforged Extended Sway Bar End Links (2nd gen rear)

Rear:
3" lift
-OME 890 Coils (thanks @3rdgenfan )
-Bilstein 5100 Shocks w/ Prothane Hourglass bushings– Tundra 24-100144
-Proforged Extended Sway Bar End Links (3rd gen front)

Wheels & Tires:
-265/75/16 Falken Wildpeak A/T3W Standard Load
-OEM Split 3 Spoke 16” Alloy Rims (dipped)
-1.25” 6x5.5 Heavy Duty Parts Adapter/Spacers

Engine & Performance Upgrades:
-K&N CAI w/ AEM cone filter
-Flowmaster 40 Series Exhaust

Undercarriage / Drive Train Upgrades:
-Custom 2” Panhard Lift Bracket (inspired by @eimkeith )
-Custom E-Brake Cable Lift Bracket
-Energy Suspension Polyurethane Steering Rack Bushings
-Angled rear brake line bracket for slack at full droop

Electrical/Lighting Modifications:
-Morimoto D2S Mini 4.0 Projector Retrofit w/ Switchback Halos as DRL/Turn Signals
-Extreme X6S Slim 38" Dual LED Light Bar - (thanks to @Billy_R )
-Backup Camera Switch (to use it outside of being in Reverse)
-CREE 3" Amber Fogs on factory wiring Want...Some Fogs? Writeup
-Eagle Eyes Black/Clear LED Tails
-LED turn signals w/ CF13 flasher relay
-DRL Disable
-UV Blue LED Dash/Climate
-LED Map, Dome, and Hatch light panels
-Upgraded Battery
-LED Reverse Lights, Corner Markers, Plate Lights, etc.

Interior/Audio Upgrades:
-Sound Ordnance B-8PTD Compact Powered Sub
-Polk Audio DB5601 Front 6.5" Speakers
-Kenwood DDX9902S Double Din 7" Screen HU w/ Backup Camera and Android Auto
-Scanguage II w/ custom dash mount
-Coverking Saddleblanket Seat Covers
-Vent Mount Cell holder

Exterior Upgrades:
-4xInnovations Front Winch Bumper - custom painted w/ Chicago shackles
-Custom built front diff skid plate
-Custom Roof Rack (made by @zimp132 )
-Blacked Out Painted Bumpers and Plastic Valences
-Fat Lip Bumper Corner Trim
-Custom Satoshi Grille w/ 80’s Toyota Emblem (late year grille style) HOW TO THREAD
-Metra Fixed Antenna (cheap Taco whip mod)
-Chrome Fender Flare Removal
-Painted Upgraded Curt Receiver Hitch
-Michelin Cyclone Wipers

I have to give so much credit to this site (and a few specific members which I will point out soon) for helping me get the "Berg" to where it is now...

It has come a LOOOOOOONG way in two month's time! From a rust-ridden, unused sleeper to this beast of a machine. Future plans are MORE armor and accessories for an overland rig.

apohl17 · 08-02-2018, 06:36 PM

MORE Pics as of 8/2/18:

apohl17 · 08-02-2018, 06:36 PM

8/11/2018:

8/12/2018

How it sat as of 9/23/18:

dogtail · 08-03-2018, 07:36 AM

Looks clean. You said it was rust ridden, how bad?

apohl17 · 08-03-2018, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dogtail

Looks clean. You said it was rust ridden, how bad?

Well, there were two big issues with it when I bought it. The first being a collection of exterior rust pockets (10-15) on the body varying from 1/4" to 1" in diameter. (Doesn't help that the natural white is a single stage paint w/ no clear coat). I ground those down to bare, bondo/glazed them flush, and repainted- no problem there.

The second, simply put, was the lovely rust rot in the rear passenger frame next to the muffler. I've seen it before, but this one specifically had, well, about a 20" long gaping hole spreading from the frame down almost through the LCA bracket. It wasn't fully separated though, so that's a plus! A couple night's worth of fab work and welding plate armor later, it's treated, as strong (if not stronger) than stock, and the whole underside is coated in rust converter.

Being in Wisconsin where the plows spread more salt then they push snow, I had a lot of vehicles I have seen to compare to, so this task didn't scare me as much as it probably would others. I'll post some pics later on.

dogtail · 08-03-2018, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apohl17

Well, there were two big issues with it when I bought it. The first being a collection of exterior rust pockets (10-15) on the body varying from 1/4" to 1" in diameter. (Doesn't help that the natural white is a single stage paint w/ no clear coat). I ground those down to bare, bondo/glazed them flush, and repainted- no problem there.

The second, simply put, was the lovely rust rot in the rear passenger frame next to the muffler. I've seen it before, but this one specifically had, well, about a 20" long gaping hole spreading from the frame down almost through the LCA bracket. It wasn't fully separated though, so that's a plus! A couple night's worth of fab work and welding plate armor later, it's treated, as strong (if not stronger) than stock, and the whole underside is coated in rust converter.

Being in Wisconsin where the plows spread more salt then they push snow, I had a lot of vehicles I have seen to compare to, so this task didn't scare me as much as it probably would others. I'll post some pics later on.

MY brother lives in Madison, he says the winters are brutal. Now that you have the rust repairs done...a hard core preventative regiment will keep it from rusting again.
I'm in a salt belt too in MA. I keep everything underneath covered in RP like a glazed donut, works great. I got a Salt Life sticker on my rig for a war badge.

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apohl17 · 08-03-2018, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dogtail

MY brother lives in Madison, he says the winters are brutal. Now that you have the rust repairs done...a hard core preventative regiment will keep it from rusting again.
I'm in a salt belt too in MA. I keep everything underneath covered in RP like a glazed donut, works great. I got a Salt Life sticker on my rig for a war badge.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Right on. I think brutal is an understatement... Haha
I plan on yearly touching up the frame since I have access to a sweet two post hydraulic lift... makes it real easy when you can walk under the truck.

I hear it's almost as bad out towards the East Coast- never looked at that decal with that meaning! Awesome. Thanks for the support and input.

3rdgenfan · 08-03-2018, 10:24 AM

Looks good. Im glad it worked out for you. Ready to see this thing turn into a nice overland rig.

apohl17 · 08-03-2018, 06:21 PM

I figured I'd start a separate thread with details and way more pics of how I did this, as this is a common problem in the rust belt. Anyways, here are some pics of before and after, and one of a primed surface so you can see the extent of the new material.

All MIG welds and 3/16 cold roll plate , slow and low voltage (100/19) for good penetration without burning through.

Ask away!

Rpreme · 08-03-2018, 08:30 PM

That's some awesome progress in two months! That rust looks so scary! Glad you were able to save the frame.

apohl17 · 08-04-2018, 12:00 AM

Right on! Thanks. Safety is a big concern, especially because this rig will be hitting the highway a decent amount this fall, but the rest of the frame is in very solid shape yet. With this patch, I'm not worried in the least. I hate seeing 3rd Gens get scrapped due to frame rust...

dogtail · 08-04-2018, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apohl17

I figured I'd start a separate thread with details and way more pics of how I did this, as this is a common problem in the rust belt. Anyways, here are some pics of before and after, and one of a primed surface so you can see the extent of the new material.

All MIG welds and 3/16 cold roll plate , slow and low voltage (100/19) for good penetration without burning through.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Wow, jeeze, that was bad, I don't think I've seen one that bad before. Good job on the repair and kudos on saving it from the scrap heap. I bought a parts rig with a bad frame, it has multiple patches and other areas rotting thru, beyond repair. Good that your problem area was isolated.

apohl17 · 08-04-2018, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dogtail

Wow, jeeze, that was bad, I don't think I've seen one that bad before. Good job on the repair and kudos on saving it from the scrap heap. I bought a parts rig with a bad frame, it has multiple patches and other areas rotting thru, beyond repair. Good that your problem area was isolated.

Thanks man. If it would have been neglected for a few more years, I may have not been able to make as solid of repairs. The parent metal for all my welds was still 90% to full thickness.

For comparison, this is a picture of a (claimed) Toyota dealer fix to this problem. I met up with the owner of an azure blue pearl beauty and he had this done or 1500 bucks...

Next picture shows how she sat for a week or so as I ordered parts/figured out what I wanted to do with it. I decided on my own blend of a satoshi grille, bumper trim for uniqueness and tire clearance for 1.25" adapters, and an Hid retrofit.

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apohl17 · 08-04-2018, 08:52 AM

For the next week or so, I replaced the broken mirror with an oem, did some body and paint work to get rid of the rust spots, and removed the broken power antenna for a fixed mast from Advanced (direct replacement for a 96-02 taco) for a grand total of $12. Can't beat that.

I also started cutting the grille. I'm going to save all my grille pics for another thread so I can go into it in detail.

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apohl17 · 08-04-2018, 09:03 AM

Once I started getting my rear end parts in, I removed the previous exhaust (first pic), which was garbage (necked down to an inch and a half, welds were iffy) and had my brother reroute a new I let and outlet section into a Flowmaster 40 I picked up for $40. Next step was torching out the old shocks and removing springs with the axle droop method (no spring compressor) and throwing bilstein 5100s and ome 890 progressive coils in.

Since I was working on a two post hydraulic car lift, I was at full droop, and did not like how tight my rear brake line was after that, so I simply tweaked the upper bracket to give myself some slack over buying a new section of longer brake line. I didn't need much! I also built a parking brake line bracket to lift it up and keep it loose.

Also seen are 3rd Gen front proforged sway bar end links to bring it back to a more level state.

This lift, especially seeing the effect at full droop, really pushed my axle over to the side, so I knew a panhard correction was something I wanted to do...

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