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Old 10-26-2021, 06:41 PM #76
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Got some maintenance done on the 4runner today. I was wobbling all over the highway, so i thought it was my rear control arm bushings. Got a set of those, but haven't installed them yet. Then I was inspecting my sway bars and I was able to move them laterally about 4"...the bushings in the sway arm brackets were absolutely shot, effectively making it like I was running with no sway bars at all front or rear. I removed the sway bar assembly completely from the front and got bushings for the rear and got up to cruising speed (70-75) on one of the more uneven roads and felt solid as a rock! For 25 bucks I'm really happy it was just that, so I can focus more on the rear axle seals and bearings over Christmas.


Saying the bushings and sway bar links were shot is an understatement.


I know, I know, they're MoOg, but 25 bucks and lifetime replacement got me
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Old 10-27-2021, 06:55 PM #77
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Another small thing but I installed an auto fire extinguisher where the cargo cover would go. seems solid, we'll see if it lasts there. Very important to have especially when camping because a bonfire can get out of hand quickly. Also, I've seen some vehicles burning on the side of the road and I don't want to helplessly watch my rig burn up.






As of today I have owned this vehicle for exactly a year. Since then, I have put on almost exactly 22,000 miles and about $3,000 in upgrades, repairs, and maintenance (about 1500 in maintenance/repairs thanks to wheel bearings). This vehicle has been a blast to build, maintain, and explore with and I hope it takes me on many more adventures!
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Old 12-03-2021, 11:49 AM #78
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Wow, what an intense month of school. Pretty big update. First of all I have finished my platform system for the 4runner. Still need to lay some waterproof material on it, but the wood work is done. Just need to build drawers for it at some point.



My buddy also welded up a farm jack mount of the bumper so now I'm a real OveRlAndEr



Also went another direction with the rear trailing arms. I went ahead and got Apoc Industries Adjustable control arms. These are noticeably better for my vehicle which has about 4.5" of rear lift. I got them on a deal on black friday for 400 shipped and they're made in America. Another plus with these is that they have not only a lifetime warranty, but lifetime servicing for free which blew me away. They make everything from one warehouse in Tennessee only about six hours from where I live so that's really cool and they're the nicest people on the phone as well. So a pre-install review so far is 5 stars for them.



I'm also planning on going with Freel Good Performance's outboard shock relocation kit after my spring semester is over. I will be getting some 12" shocks, which makes adjustable control arms a must without binding the rear end like crazy when fully flexed.

So that I won't have to notch the frame, I'm thinking about going with the Fox Performance series 2.0 shock with an adjustable remote reservoir. I have run Fox on my 2020 Trek Fuel Mountain bike and love them. It only has 130mm of travel in the rear and 160mm travel in the front. the suspension is highly adjustable though, so even though it is only a trail bike, I can dial in the suspension to perform better than purpose built downhill bikes with over 200mm travel front and rear that aren't adjustable. This goes a long way for me, so I think that a well dialed rig with 12" rear travel can perform better than some 3 linked long travel rigs with 16" travel that have not been dialed. I understand that there are limits to everything, but I do believe that adjustability is very important for performance. That just leaves me with beefing up the front end at some point...

I do plan to go pretty ham when I off-road in the future, but I also know that I am over-building it for 90% of my driving. My philosophy is that if I'm going to spend money, I might as well spend some more to get the full benefits. I know that this is becoming less of a college/high school level thread, but I'm in college full time and haven't been making money since I started and am still making it work, so you just have to be wise with the money you have and ration out the ramen supply.
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Old 12-03-2021, 12:59 PM #79
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Wow, what an intense month of school. Pretty big update. First of all I have finished my platform system for the 4runner. Still need to lay some waterproof material on it, but the wood work is done. Just need to build drawers for it at some point.



My buddy also welded up a farm jack mount of the bumper so now I'm a real OveRlAndEr



Also went another direction with the rear trailing arms. I went ahead and got Apoc Industries Adjustable control arms. These are noticeably better for my vehicle which has about 4.5" of rear lift. I got them on a deal on black friday for 400 shipped and they're made in America. Another plus with these is that they have not only a lifetime warranty, but lifetime servicing for free which blew me away. They make everything from one warehouse in Tennessee only about six hours from where I live so that's really cool and they're the nicest people on the phone as well. So a pre-install review so far is 5 stars for them.



I'm also planning on going with Freel Good Performance's outboard shock relocation kit after my spring semester is over. I will be getting some 12" shocks, which makes adjustable control arms a must without binding the rear end like crazy when fully flexed.

So that I won't have to notch the frame, I'm thinking about going with the Fox Performance series 2.0 shock with an adjustable remote reservoir. I have run Fox on my 2020 Trek Fuel Mountain bike and love them. It only has 130mm of travel in the rear and 160mm travel in the front. the suspension is highly adjustable though, so even though it is only a trail bike, I can dial in the suspension to perform better than purpose built downhill bikes with over 200mm travel front and rear that aren't adjustable. This goes a long way for me, so I think that a well dialed rig with 12" rear travel can perform better than some 3 linked long travel rigs with 16" travel that have not been dialed. I understand that there are limits to everything, but I do believe that adjustability is very important for performance. That just leaves me with beefing up the front end at some point...

I do plan to go pretty ham when I off-road in the future, but I also know that I am over-building it for 90% of my driving. My philosophy is that if I'm going to spend money, I might as well spend some more to get the full benefits. I know that this is becoming less of a college/high school level thread, but I'm in college full time and haven't been making money since I started and am still making it work, so you just have to be wise with the money you have and ration out the ramen supply.
One thing about (all) outboard shock kits is that if you don’t run 2-3” wheel spacers (depending on tire size) your tires will rub on your shocks when you flex. You could also notch your frame/wheel wells but that is an absolute ton of work. IMO the shock relocation is better for long travel jump type stuff where both tires get stuffed at the same time vs rock crawling where each wheel needs to be able to go up/down independently as much as possible. Not sure what your intended use of your truck is but I figured it was worth a mention before you spend that much $.
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Old 12-03-2021, 02:10 PM #80
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One thing about (all) outboard shock kits is that if you don’t run 2-3” wheel spacers (depending on tire size) your tires will rub on your shocks when you flex. You could also notch your frame/wheel wells but that is an absolute ton of work. IMO the shock relocation is better for long travel jump type stuff where both tires get stuffed at the same time vs rock crawling where each wheel needs to be able to go up/down independently as much as possible. Not sure what your intended use of your truck is but I figured it was worth a mention before you spend that much $.
Very true and I forgot to mention that, but I have 1.5" wheel spacers already at the house and with the 255 skinnies it helps out a lot on room. I kind of want to get more into the high speed stuff while still being a reliable daily, road trip vehicle that can also crawl. I already have some toyotec 5.25" bump stops so I think I'll be good. there are a lot of calculations I will have to do before welding it on though, so I definitely hear ya there. It is also about 6 months in the future so I can't count my eggs before they hatch lol
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Old 01-08-2022, 01:15 PM #81
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Wow, it's been over a month. Here's what I've done over break.

1.) Rebuilt the rear end.

2.) Sold my front bumper

3.) Got another drawer system

4.) Got a wleder

December was insane. It started off with what I thought would be a weekend project doing axle seals and wheel bearings. This turned into a 3 week saga of pain and gnashing of teeth. I grinded the retainers and abs rotors so the shop could pull the bearing. I then pounded the retainers, wheel bearings, and abs rotors in with an exhaust from my brothers previous vehicle (1981 el camino). After the torture, I rented the axle seal tool which obviously didn't work. I had to fabricate a tool from a wheel bearing puller to seat it correctly. I got a deal on the parts from Joe Joe on facebook for $340 shipped and the shop work was $110. I wasted about $100 worth of parts from breaking them, so all in all it was about $550, not bad, but very painful.

To pay for the repairs, I had to sell my front bumper. It was sad, but I also wanted something different. I sold that for $750 and now am getting on some plans for making my own. My plan is to make the highest clearance, lowest profile front bumper. I'll be cutting off the stock mounting brackets and mounting it to the top of the frame rails. It will be a hybrid bumper, so plated in the middle following the grill lines and then from there to the fender flares will be tube. I will have to fabricate the skid plate to extend up to the crossbar of the front two body mounts to protect the radiator. This will take some time, but I am very excited about it.



A friend who saw my Instagram page (4running_99) gave me their old lockable drawer system. I love putting it on top of the platform I made because it sits flush with the rear seat backs. No visibility loss and great lockable storage.







I got a welder for Christmas that I'm super stocked to use. It's just a harbor freight one, but is portable and only 15lbs so its great for me because I can take it to and from college.



I will try to be more diligent with my posting here, but it is far easier to post on Instagram (4running_99). I am doing a 17 hour semester so it will be kind of crazy, but lots of exciting things in the future as well.
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Old 01-30-2022, 11:12 PM #82
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Taking 5 classes and 2 labs does not help with trying to build a bumper. I decided to get an oem one for now and once school gets out build my own. Picked it up for 75 bucks...not terrible. Also had to replace the u-joint which took about 20 bucks and 3 hours with a crappy autozone rent-a-tool.



I will probably be spiffing this up a bit with a lightbar and pod lights...basically experimenting for the fabricated one.



Napa ftw...don't mind the gallons of pb blaster lol
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Old 01-31-2022, 03:37 PM #83
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hell yeah dude as a college student to another college student i like your build! hope mine gets to the same level. had a lot of adventures so far and hope to get more. do you like that little welder you picked up or would you snag something different?
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Old 01-31-2022, 08:46 PM #84
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hell yeah dude as a college student to another college student i like your build! hope mine gets to the same level. had a lot of adventures so far and hope to get more. do you like that little welder you picked up or would you snag something different?
Thanks a lot! You don't need to do much to them to be adventure ready...and beware of doing too much to make it a pain driving lol. I honestly like the welder because its so small, but still has nice settings. I can only fit a 2lb spool though. For less than 200, it's definitely worth it. Check out my Instagram (4Running_99) because I post there more often than here.
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Old 02-01-2022, 09:25 AM #85
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Nice build! Next time you're up in N GA or TN, hit me up!
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90% of the build threads in the 5th Gen section consist of Fuel Wheels, Plastidip, Duratracs and window tint.
1998 4Runner "Diamond" - Daily Driver (rolled & rebuilt) - 3.4 5-Speed, Coastal Bumper, Manual Hubs, 255/80r17 AT3Ws (409k+ Miles)
1997 4Runner "Becky" - Camping Rig - 3.4 Auto (for now), Armored, Cable E-Locked, Coastal Bumper, Sleeper Deck, 255/80r17 AT3Ws (185k+ Miles)
1989 4Runner | Tennessee 4Runner Group
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Old 02-02-2022, 07:40 PM #86
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Nice build! Next time you're up in N GA or TN, hit me up!
Thanks! I go wheeling in that area whenever I can so I definitely will!
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Old 03-01-2022, 08:38 PM #87
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I finally did probably the most worth while upgrade for the money...DIY retrofits! I bought $29 nilight 2.5" projectors with shrouds and customized my LED's to fit in the projectors. I painted my housing and shrouds satin black and here we are, under 35 bucks and 2 hours of my time!







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Old 03-11-2022, 08:35 AM #88
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Nice headlights! I like the turn signals too. I bet they're bright!
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90% of the build threads in the 5th Gen section consist of Fuel Wheels, Plastidip, Duratracs and window tint.
1998 4Runner "Diamond" - Daily Driver (rolled & rebuilt) - 3.4 5-Speed, Coastal Bumper, Manual Hubs, 255/80r17 AT3Ws (409k+ Miles)
1997 4Runner "Becky" - Camping Rig - 3.4 Auto (for now), Armored, Cable E-Locked, Coastal Bumper, Sleeper Deck, 255/80r17 AT3Ws (185k+ Miles)
1989 4Runner | Tennessee 4Runner Group
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Old 04-21-2022, 12:25 PM #89
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Wow, sure has been a while. Redid my thermostat and went with a champion aluminum radiator. Also put the 4runner on a mandatory diet as my tire carrier gave out on me. It’s kind of grown on me though. I might also go back to 891’s because I don’t have so much weight back there anymore.

Another thing I’ve been doing is making custom HID retrofits for people. I know, I know…it’s HID’s. The point is to give people better and cooler retrofits at not such a premium price. I start out at $300, which comes with TYC housings, projectors, lights, ballasts, wiring harnesses, and everything else prebuilt and ready to go. I reduce the price to $225 for those who give me their housings. Overall it’s been a great way for me to help people and make some money on the side. Here’s a couple of retrofits I’ve made.



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Old 07-01-2022, 11:28 AM #90
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Got an internship that’s working me 9-10 hours a day 6 days a week so I haven’t been able to do too much to the 4runner unfortunately. I needed to replace the front calipers and rotors so I thought I might as well do the TBU and I really like it. I don’t love it because I didn’t replace the brake lines with braided ones so it’s a little spongy but when they engage it’s really nice. The biggest difference to me is in slowing down a bridge or mountain to a stop. I’m also trying to make a front and rear bumper, OSR kit with 12” shocks, and get a Yakima rack with 58” crossbars second hand. It seems with work all my plans are a pipe dream, but hopefully I’ll have time during school to accomplish my list

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