Alright, I caved. I thought I would never do it, but I did. After researching for designs and trying to get any sort of metal, both to no avail, I decided to just use some scrap tubing my friend has laying around for a rear bumper and use the money from my other bumper to get someone to fabricate a front bumper for me. I found Matt Tibbetts with TKO Fabrications on marketplace to build and install a fully custom bumper that we designed for 600. I couldn't not do it so i jumped on the deal and it was exactly what I wanted. Got some cheap led turn signals, halo fog lights and a cheap winch and I'm set. I went with a 5k winch off amazon for 140 and got a snatchblock. It's basically a pulley system that will double the winch load at the cost of halfling the speed and rope length. We'll see how well this goes. I'm going up to windrock on the 10th to test things out with a large group of fellow 4runners, so that will be the make or break for my system. I'm building my rear bumper this weekend, so hopefully I will update with pictures of that in the next couple of days.









Another price update
4runner - 5000
spray paint for rims - 10
1/4 chicken wire - 15
rack basket - 50
shovel - 8
traction boards - 60
farm jack - 40
recovery strap - 30
recovery shackles - 10
Trail Gear Diff breather - 30
Bumper - 600
Turn signals - 10
Halos - 35
Winch - 140
Snathcblock - 15
TOTAL - $6,053

Did a front and rear pad job and I replaced the rear drum cylinders (not shown in picture)

Before:


After:


Also, I got the design done, just have to fill in the last bits and spray paint it. Still working on a cost effective tire swing out assembly.

With the end of school, last month was a mad dash to the finish. The Tennessee trip was incredible, 1200+ miles and it was perfect. Went with Georgia 4runners and they were great people. Here's a few pictures of the trip there and on the trail.









The only thing that went bad on the trip was the roof rack. Unfortunately, it was too much weight for it to handle on the trail, especially at high speeds.

220k and no hesitations at all.


Also, 6 months today that I've had the 4Runner

Then:

Now:


In June, I am going on a 5500+ mile cross country trip with 6 friends, my 4runner, and my buddy's '08 Tacoma. In preparation I'm going to replace the inner and outer tie rods, LBJ's, all fluids, and rotate and align wheels. I will also finish up the bumper and create a spare tire carrier so I can have more interior space.

Awesome progress!! I am in Cumming (about an hour north of atlanta). Just getting started with my 4runner.

Are you running a winch without a fairlead? Have you needed to use it yet? Seems like either the bumper or line would get chewed up pretty good...

Thanks! I would definitely recommend Matt Tibbetts @TKOFabrications for bumpers, skids, sliders, etc. He's cheaper than most other manufacturers, will custom design what you want, and helps with install. He's located in Cumming as well.

You're right on that. I couldn't find one I really liked for while. It was getting ridiculous, so I went ahead and just got a badlands synthetic fairlead from Harbor Freight. I haven't had to rely on it before, but yes, I have tested my winch out.

Another update:

The rear end is coming along nicely. Got the spare tire carrier designed and laid out, now to finish up the welds, grind them down, and paint! Also picked up this Gobi ladder off a 1st gen Xterra at Cash-N-Carry for 15.99...definitely my best pick yet. It doesn't come down all the way, but that's okay because i just use my bumper as the first step anyways. Just had to trim up the mount a bit to to have clearance for the hatch and tire.




Not so fun, but more importantly, I replaced some key components in the front end for the big trip. I installed moog LBJ's, and inner and outer tie rods. Steering feels amazing and that's before the alignment too. It took all day to replace, but beats the 1100 dollars in labor I was quoted by a mile.

I saw you guys had left for the trip a few days ago on the Georgia 4runners page! How's the ride going so far? Any mishaps or wildness yet?

Had to do the wheel bearings in Moab, but that didn't set us back any. Other than that it was awesome!

Rear wheel bearings? Out on the trail? Curious how this would be done.

I'm doing a similar thing. Just bought a '99 for $3500, it's got some rust because it's a northeast car but it's in good enough condition for the price. Gonna be repairing stuff and modding stuff over the next few weeks before heading to school.

Damn, I did not scroll to the end of this thread before posting. Didn't realize how far you had gotten. Congrats, I hope mine gets this far.

It was front wheel bearings and I just took it to a shop in Moab. I forgot to pack my mobile 6 ton press or I wuld have lol.

I really appreciate it! As long as the platform is solid it will be well worth it. It doesn't have to be expensive to look and perform well.

Congrats man!
Im also young but not as young as you(20) Im also on a tight budget. i work full-time as a diesel tech, getting married in October and need to pay rent. its not cheap to live in cali but i get around.
so far i have the TTHA-9602 kit and spc uppers.
i put on a body lift but i dont like it so its coming off.
i made my own retrofit headlights( have another pair if anyones interested)
Front bumper
and a whole lot of maintenance.
im making rockys diy LT kit and sliders so yeah big fun!

Finally getting time to post about my trip across the US! To be expected, there were some mishaps and repairs along the way, but overall was a blast and well worth it. Me and my four buddies and my brother decided to go cross country with my 4runner and my friends' 2008 Tacoma. We left from Tybee Island, Ga and hit up San Antonio, Moab, Salt Lake City, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, San Fransisco, The PCH, Los Angeles and the surrounding beaches, Los Vegas, and The Grand Canyon. I hit up Hell's Revenge which was one of the most fun things I've done. Then along the way there were random offroad turn offs that led to spectacular scenery. At Bonneville, we went to the salt flats to get some top speed runs. With a tail wind and 5 minutes of uninvigorating acceleration, I managed to hit 99mph...so close. In Yosemite, we did some repelling. The PCH was definetly one of everyone's favorite rides. We even were able to se the Elephant seals. Lastly, the Grand Canyon was absolutly breath taking, even being my thrid time there. As far as the parts list goes, I had to get a shop to do my front wheel bearings and my friend had to do his, along with a rack and pinion, brakes, and front suspension. Unfortunately, he was going up a dune at Pismo beach and launched himself off of it rearanging his front end, tweaking his frame, and damaging bumper and headlight mounts. The truck made it all the way home to Georgia though and nobody was injured. It was definetly worth it in the end. And at only 530 dollars per person, we made very reasonable. Here's some pictures along the way!



The before picture, cleaned up and loaded down







A few notable campsites







The unmarked turn offs. The first are buttes in NM and the other a canyon in UT









Good times at Hell's revenge!









Made it to Cali! Had some fun in Yosemite





Some PCH fun





Some PCH not so fun