[Reno - 3rd gen]

Happy New Years Everybody. I think I'm overdue for a build thread and I realized it has been 2 years since I got my 4R, so this seems like good timing. I included a couple transformation pictures to show how i've changed things so far. I bought mine in Mammoth, CA for $3,500 with around 203K miles, the title was clear but the previous owner slide on some ice and hit a tree stump on the front drivers side. They mounted a chopped up bumper from a Nissan Titan on the front. Apart from the ugly front bumper and some dents on the fender and hood, it was in good shape.

96 5-speed SR5 4x4, sunfire red pearl w/ tan interior
222,xxx miles (as of beginning of 2020)

Vehicle’s Use (mostly weekend use, not a daily): Taking my 2 dogs to parks and trails, weekend trips to Tahoe w/ the girlfriend and dogs, heavy wheeling, camping, the occasional road trip, errands around town.


Mechanical:
4.88 gears
35” x 12.5” tires (currently BFG KM2s)
Posi-trac diff rear, True-trac front diff
3” toytec front coilovers
3”-3.5” rear toytec superflex springs w/ new shocks
Rear diff breather extension
2” body lift
Snorkel and inline filter
Bolt in battery box (Holds it down while wheeling)
Chopped and hammered pinch welds
Diff drop kit
Chopped tailpipe to avoid pinch

Exterior:
BX Built fiberglass fender flares
Addicted Offroad front and rear bumpers (prior to BL)
Sliders
Sport hood swap
Gobi rear ladder
Ultra Warlock 17” x 9” bronze wheels
Taillight guards
DIY fold down hitch rear tire carrier w/ full size spare
Soccer mom cargo box $40 CL special (w/ traction pads, hi-lift, etc.)
Hella horns
Ditch light pods, front round leds, amber fog lights
DIY Satoshi grill w/ FJ Toyota badge & eagle eye raptor LEDs
Rear back-up camera

Interior:
Subaru forester heated front seats
Double din Bluetooth headunit
12” kicker sub and amp
Dog/Sleeping platform w/ rear drawers (removed 1 rear seat behind driver)
Rear chase/dust LED bar (red and white)
Ceramic window tint (all windows but front windshield)
Shifter extender (due to BL)
Upgraded rear hatch struts to accommodate ladder
Fire extinguisher (mounted in rear cargo ceiling)

[FrogginAround]

Black flares/cladding looks awesome with the sunfire. You have yourself a very good looking Runner dude.

[Reno - 3rd gen]

Originally Posted by FrogginAround

Black flares/cladding looks awesome with the sunfire. You have yourself a very good looking Runner dude.

Thank you very much! Spent way too much on those flares, but as soon as they started selling them I knew I wanted some. What's always surprised me is that Sunfire red seems like it gets dirty as easy as black paint does!

[chen5108]

Looking real good, I'm in the process of bringing a Sunfire Red back to life also. I really need to get new front seats, can you shine some light on how the fitment of the Subaru seats went?

[Reno - 3rd gen]

Originally Posted by chen5108

Looking real good, I'm in the process of bringing a Sunfire Red back to life also. I really need to get new front seats, can you shine some light on how the fitment of the Subaru seats went?

@chen5108 Thanks. I actually sold this rig a couple months ago and got a Bronco. I immediately put some new seats in that Bronco though so I feel a little more experienced with the seat swaps now.

So unless the seats are direct bolt in (There are a couple threads on here about that), you are looking at a pretty big job, but it is definitely worth while. For my old 3rd gen the subaru seats hit 2 of the stock bolts, and I used large sheet metal screws for the other two brackets. I also ground down a couple of the brackets as they were too big to fit flat. The most important part of retro-fitting in different seats is to make sure they are perfectly straight. My driver's seat was at a very slight angle (not noticeable at first, but after long drives I did start to notice it and it bothered me). One of the seats I put in was electric, and they had seat heaters, but wiring was extremely simple on this. If you can wire in a new stereo, you can easily hook up electric seats.

This may be trickier to apply to the 4runner, but on my Bronco I drilled through the floor board and bolted in my new seats for all of the brackets that didn't line up. Obviously there is alot more room under a Bronco and things are less condensed, but this was much easier than trying to re-work brackets to fit the stock mounting bolts. Do keep in mind that you want these seats as secure as possible for safety, and bolting or even possibly welding is definitely a better option than using sheet metal screws. Hope this helps, and best of luck to you.