[williamteichroeb]

Originally Posted by bsa70

This is one of the best builds I have seen. I really want to do this, if you don't mind, what will be your total investment$$$ Gives me an idea what to look forward too....

Thanks buddy!! Appreciate the compliment. It's been a fun build, and I've enjoyed learning how to work on vehicles and taking pride in doing all the work myself. It would be hard for me to give you an accurate total cost. At this point I would say roughly maybe 8000 dollars. That's honestly a rough estimate and it may be slightly more or less. I have done almost all the work myself, but the cost would probably be over 12000 if you're paying someone else labour. Last major mod for me will be the rear swing-out bumper, but I'm currently in school practicing Advanced Life Support paramedicine for the next 2 years, so not sure when that'll happen. Looking at either a custom built bumper locally, or 4x4labs, or if Expedition One creates a 4th gen rear bumper.

Check out the first post in my build for the list of mods. Have fun!!!

[williamteichroeb]

Cleaned her all up. Here's a good picture of the tires, if anyone else is contemplating pizza cutter winter tires.

[Sonnystile]

Originally Posted by williamteichroeb

After the daystar lift, I quickly sourced out what I wanted for wheels and tires. I had originally thought of getting the 265/75R16 BFG KO2's but started seeing more posts of people running 255/75R17's and 235/85R16. I quickly grew to love the tall/skinny look. I also quickly decided on the TRD pro wheels because I wanted a wheel that was hub-centric, and only 7" wide for my skinny tires. All the aftermarket wheels I liked were 8" and wider like the pro-comps and mickey thompson. Very happy with the TRD's. I bought 1 tire in a 235/80R17 to test fit on the 4runner. I liked it however I thought it might be too skinny and after more research thought the 255/85R17 at 32.1" and 10" wide was perfect and a little better than 9.3" wide and 31.8" tall. Very happy with the combo. Attached are some pics of both the 235/80R17 and 255/75R17's that I settled with. I ended up still keeping the 235 tire/wheel combo and use it as my spare as I sits higher up under the vehicle and allows more ground clearance while being more or less the same diameter.

So this is with the Daystar 2.5/1.5, and Goodyear 255/75R-17 on the TRD wheels?

This is the exact set up I am looking for on my '08 to lose the "soccer Mom" look.


Any rubbing? Did you have XREAS?

[williamteichroeb]

Originally Posted by Sonnystile

So this is with the Daystar 2.5/1.5, and Goodyear 255/75R-17 on the TRD wheels?

This is the exact set up I am looking for on my '08 to lose the "soccer Mom" look.


Any rubbing? Did you have XREAS?

Sorry for the late reply, sometimes I don't get on here too often:

1) yes this is the daystar with 2.5/1.5 lift and BFG KO2's in that size
2) I had very slight rubbing when reversing at full lock
3) no i did not have the xreas system. My 4runner is an SR5 model

[need4gforce]

Great build!!! Excited to start modding my 03 v8! 885's etc on the way!! Any updates on yours?

[williamteichroeb]

Originally Posted by need4gforce

Great build!!! Excited to start modding my 03 v8! 885's etc on the way!! Any updates on yours?

First time on here in quite a long time. It's funny you should ask about the 885's. I'm just looking at replacing them. They've been on more than 5 years now and they've been squeaking pretty bad the last 8 months or so. Driveability is still fine, but they're pretty rusted and worse for wear, so I feel like it's time to replace them.

I think I'm actually going to go with the exact same setup up front. I loved the way it handled and felt both on and off-road and the lift amount was perfect. They're also very budget friendly.

I also need to replace my fox rear shocks. To be honest, there's a lot of work that I need to do on this vehicle right now. My driver's side CV axle is broken, and the seal needs replacing on the passenger side CV, so I'll just do them both and have an extra CV axle in case I break one in the future.

For the last 4 years or so, all I've done to the vehicle is maintenance religiously, and full brakes front and rear, but nothing else. It needs some $$$ and work right now to get her perfect again.

I might wait until after winter to replace a lot of the stuff but the CV's need to be done ASAP.

Here's a list of the stuff I will likely replace:

-CV axles and diff seals
-replace all diff gear oils

Spring:

-Front strut assemblies (Wheeler's offroad- same exact OME setup)
-outer TRE's
-replace LCA's with OEM
-upper ball joints (JBA replacements)
-rear Fox shocks (maybe upgrade to 2.5"?)
-replace rear springs
-replace rear 2nd gen sway bar links

[MrWeatherman]

Love it! I don’t want to go all out on mine, but I got the itch to buy more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dfontes]

How has the rear 2nd gen links been treating you? Are they the right length for your lift height? I'm debating between a 1.5 or 2 inch rear lift and using the rear 2nd gen links.

Nice ride btw!

[williamteichroeb]

Originally Posted by dfontes

How has the rear 2nd gen links been treating you? Are they the right length for your lift height? I'm debating between a 1.5 or 2 inch rear lift and using the rear 2nd gen links.

Nice ride btw!

They have been treating me super well. Bolted right up like the stock ones, but just longer. Definitely recommend. As a matter of fact, I just ordered some new ones from rock auto, seeing as it's time to replace my old suspension. A lot of my suspension is 6-7 years old with nearly 150,000kms on it (90,000 miles), so it's all getting a revamp.

I also see Dobinson's makes some for the 4th gen but they're about 3x the money as rockauto's stock 2nd gen, but that's always an option.

[williamteichroeb]

Well I'm happy to say I've got a good start on getting on top of my vehicle again. I spent a day working on my vehicle and got the following done:

Both Left and Right CV axles replaced with OEM ones


driver's side OEM CV axle

passenger side OEM CV axle

Both Left and Right CV axle seals (dust seals) replaced


new vs old passenger dust seal

driver's side needle bearing replaced with ECGS bearing


removing old needle bearing


driving new ECGS bearing in


new bearing and axle dust seal

Front differential oil drained and filled with new crush washers.

I did have a nasty grinding noise only when turning left at full lock. Upon investigating the noise I discovered it was the dust shield cover hitting the rotor. I must have bent it slightly when replacing the axle. Thank goodness it was an easy fix. I thought it might be the wheel bearing or a bad CV axle, but this was the best case scenario LOL

I also replaced my rear liftgate shocks as the original ones were fading pretty bad and in winter weren't holding up the liftgate half the time. I also replaced my gas cap which fixed the check engine light issue (MIL code P0441, and P0455). Disconected battery to reset the check engine light. Also replaced my side marker lights, rubber liftgate botton cover, and license plate lights. I want to get brighter reverse lights, as the OEM ones suck, especially reversing offroad. Looking at picking up some amazon LED ones which have pretty good reviews.

So on to more fun jobs in the near future!

I ordered my suspension!

Dobinsons IMS kit! I know I said I would be getting the OME setup again, but Dobinsons had a black friday sale on, and it looks like their kit might be a nice little step up. I didn't feel I needed the MRR kit with the fairly big increase in price so I just picked up the:

IMS59-50220 struts
IMS C59-352 Front springs at 226mm (extra 1" height)

Rear C59-701V
Fox 2.0 series shocks
Part number: 980-24-679
These are the same ones I have been running for 6 years and love them length: 15.55" collapsed X 24.65" extended

The rear springs are heavy dual rate springs, but I've commited to a steel dual swingout rear bumper which I estimate will weight at least 300lbs with tire and jerry cans, bringing my total to approx 450-500 with the partial weight of the roof rack, sliders, accessories, and cargo equipment. Hoping the fox shocks and keep up to the increased weight. If not I'll upgrade them when/if they fail.

I have also ordered and received:

new JBA UCA's
new OEM LCA's
SPC cam kit for LCA's
new inner TRE's (aftermarket)
new outer TRE's (aftermarket)
new 2nd gen 4runner rear sway-bar end links (aftermarket)

The Dobinson's suspension is backordered until February-ish, so I' think I'll just tackle this whole project after winter.

I'm going to contact my local fabrication shop (Big Country Customs in Abbotsford BC) and see about getting a custom rear bumper fabricated by them. I've also tossed around the idea of getting the 4x4labs rear bumper and just having them fab up the dual swingout. I don't like 4x4labs design for the swing out, but love how much clearance they have with their rear bumper design. It's the only one that actually cuts out the rear crossmember which drastically improves departure angle, as well as removes about 100lbs of stock weight. Not sure how to play this one......

[williamteichroeb]

Time flies. It feels like spring here in British Columbia. So unfortunately, I'm STILL waiting on the Dobinsons suspension. I emailed Mike for an update, and it sounds like it was just unloaded off the ship, and they now have to build them and then ship them out. I'm hoping to get them by April, because I have May camping plans and a lot of work needs to be done before then. It'll have been 5 months since ordering, but in their defence they did let me know they were backordered, so I can't be too mad.

...The best news!!! I ordered a fully custom rear swingout bumper from 4x4labs. I was going to get the shell from them and have my local fab shop build the swingouts, but they were very dishonest about the price, and only after asking numerous times for a firm quote, in writing, did they tack on an extra $2000, bringing the total to around $5000 for just mounting their standard dual swingout to the flat top of the 4x4labs bumper which would have been fully built and installed on the vehicle already for them. Anyways, it's buyer beware for BCC (Big Country Customs) in Abbotsford. I also have a friend who got work done by them that was originally quoted at $8000 and they ended up charing him $12000.


Luke from 4x4labs has been great to work with. I emailed him photos and drawings of what I wanted added to the bumper and he's been working with me to get it done. I ended up shipping a dual jerry can holder from Backwoods Adventure Mods and a propane tank mount from Power Tank, that I would like them to attach to the one swingarm, and the other swingarm will hold the spare tire. They also added kickers on the rear bumper, and a cutout and mounting plate for a rear winch. This will be a very unique rear bumper and I'm excited to see how it turns out. I was originally quoted an 8 week lead time and it's been over 10 weeks now, but I'm hoping it'll get built and shipped in a week or so.



I also have knocked a few other items off the mod list:

-TRD pro grill with raptor lights
-LED TOYOTA grill insert
-KC LED slimlites install (need to clean up wiring still)
-Finally bought Weathertech floor mats. Should have done this years ago!
-replaced rusted and corroded Prinsu rack hardware and painted wind fairing
-cleaned engine bay
-bought and filled the 5lb propane tank
-cleaned winch rope, and sanded and painted winch roller drum. Still need to properly spool winch line under load.

[williamteichroeb]

Also due to some vandalism while my vehicle was parked, she got a new paint job. The paint was really good anyways, but now it's absolutely mint. They sanded and repainted all 4 sides and the hood, but left the roof alone. I touched up my own roof at home so it's shiny and matched the new paint.

The shop did a pretty good job. No complaints. There wasn't an option to repaint a different colour, even if I paid the difference or I would have gone with something cool like underground, trail dust, heritage blue, or some cement tone.

I also ordered new mirrors that have the defroster (Toyota calls them defogging mirrors) in them. Ordered off Ebay for super cheap and they are completely plug and play with my 2009 SR5 model that didn't come with them. Tested them out and they get nice and hot.

[tuborg_15]

Great! Now its as good as new with the fresh paint done. I have always liked 4th Gen 4Runner in Silver color. Did you go through insurance for the paint job or paid it from your pocket? How much did it cost?

[williamteichroeb]

I went through my comprehensive insurance. They covered the bill. I’d have to check but I believe the total was between $11,000 and $12,000!! That is Canadian though, so approx $8000 US. I’m pretty sure the shop tacked on some fees I wouldn’t be ok with paying if it were me. There were admin fees, paperwork fees, and some other odds and ends I’m pretty sure they just reused my parts for. But anyways, that’s besides the point.

[williamteichroeb]

Well, there's so much to say! All the parts I had ordered finally arrived and I spent 4 FULL DAYS working on the truck. I'll elaborate on the install and the products but here's the list of parts I installed:

Front suspension:

-JBA upper control arms
-Toyota OEM lower control arms
-inner TRE's
-outer TRE's
-sway bar end-links
-Dobinsons strut assembly
-C59-352 springs with IMS struts at 26mm height
-driver's side 1/2" spacer to correct lean
-SPC cam bolts

Rear suspension:

-C59-701V rear coils
-Fox 2.0 performance shocks
-sway bar end-links

Rear 4x4labs bumper:

-rear bumper with kick outs and winch mount
-Backwoods Aventure Mods jerry can holder
-all pro 5lb propane mount
-Hi-lift jack mount


After installing all the parts and torquing everything down I took the vehicle to the Toyota dealership to have it aligned. I also had them perform:
-transmission drain and fill
-power steering flush
-coolant drain and fill
-checked brake fluid, but they didn't recommend changing it as it tested good