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Old 04-10-2021, 11:11 AM #1
Lizard10 Lizard10 is offline
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Lizard10 build thread...

So, thought I would share my build so far. Nothing crazy and nothing as sweet as some of the rigs I have seen on here, but it is a work in progress and a lot of fun building...

Picked up my 2008 SR5 4x4 used with 200k on the clock. Had been very selective in what I wanted and even though I wanted a white one, found this Ti Metallic and fell in love.

While just above average miles per year, it had a solid frame with a well maintained underside. Actually had the Bilstien 5100 leveling kit on it and a remote start. Unfortunately, the owner didn't know where the remote was so, I can't use it...

But, it was solid, ran great, 4x4 worked awesome and everything other than the passenger front window switch worked perfectly.

The interior was flawless with no tears, worn out seat support and while a few beauty scratches on the plastic in the back, it was super clean.

Day2:

I decided to start looking for wheels. Was actually slated to pick up a set from a guy along the way home, but he didn't seem all that interested in meeting and was very difficult to work with. I actually waited over an hour where we said we would meet and he never even returned a text or anything. So, I rolled. He of course texted the next day... Too bad!! But, I wasn't flustered. I decided to do what anyone would do - black out the headlights! HAHAHAHA!

Did the ol' bake and paint. I actually skipped an important step and forgot to wipe clean the inside of the lights. Really sucks because I did the 3M headlight restore process and realized my mistake once they were crystal clear... I later used an air nozzle and blew out a lot of the dust, but would recommend doing this prior to sealing.

In doing the headlights, I sealed around the edges with Permatex sealant to make double sure to not have a leak. What a difference and glad I did it.

LEDs for all!

Yup, replaced every single bulb inside and out with an LED. Simply worked through pages here for best bulbs and companies and ordered everything in a few stages. My GF actually gets somewhat annoyed at how bright the interior lights are when the door opens at night. :P

I didn't realize the marker lights needed to be amber. I didn't catch that when ordering until I pulled the old ones. But, I actually like the fact that the marker lights are clear white LED and the turns amber. I of course didn't have to do the tails (red markers) as they are already LED stock. But even the license plate lights and door lights. Makes a world of difference.

Now, I need to replace a bulb in the info panel under the radio...

WHEELS!!!

So, after losing out on the older gen TRD wheels, I made a post on our Ohio 4Runners FB page. A friend directed someone to me as I had asked the group. Found a guy that had a 2021 TRD Pro (GORGEOUS colorway!) and was selling his wheels. He literally had maybe 200 miles on them before he replaced them. Came with the TPMS units and everything. Couldn't have been happier! Got some new skins for the wheels and mounted them up. SOOOOO much cleaner and looked more aggressive yet still had that clean look.

I hate black plastic and chrome!

I can't stand chrome. Hate it. A lot. So, went down the road in getting the badges either removed or painted. I also hate the black plastic look of the door handles and mirrors... So, I went to a friend that wraps cars for a living and had him wrap the mirror surrounds (keeping the base black to allow some contrast), door handles, rear tailgate chrome piece, and outside surround on grille to match the body color. Even got the metallic to match! Made it look more modern and one step closer to no more chrome.

He also wrapped the center portion of the grille in matte black to create some contrast and eliminate that chrome.

I then removed the badges on the door and rear tailgate.

My only thing left was the front and rear Toyota emblems. I do not want to plasti-Dip them at all. I am probably going to see if the overlay badges for the newer gens will work. Otherwise, I will pull them and paint them to hold up.

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike..."

So, I have retired from motorcycle racing and have picked up MTB and road bicycles as a hobby. I have a van from the racing that easily could haul everything, but the 4Runner was to be an adventure machine and I wanted to be able to load our bikes up and travel to wherever we wanted, ride, hike, kayak, etc. I have a Skybox and wanted to be able to haul the bikes inside for when we travel and stay overnight in a hotel, eat, etc...

There are a lot of options out there. But, I like making things and decided to create a bike hauler for the back. I wanted something I could remove and put in and out without causing issue. So, I bought some PVC trim material, a few bike mounts and some hardware...

The base was easy. Just jigsaw the shape I wanted. The challenge was to get the base located in the right spot to allow the different style of bikes to fit. The MTBs sit back further and nothing comes close to the rear glass. However, the road bikes have the brakes in a position that if too far towards the back, they hit the glass. Not a good thing when shutting the tailgate...

So, found the right spot, did a few dry runs on positioning of the different bikes. We never take all four at the same time so, I needed to be able to haul two at a time. The road bikes have a QR base which is common. My GF's MTB is also a QR fork while mine is a 15mm. So, I simply was able to use the QR mount for each of her bikes at any time and then just needed to add the 15mm so it worked when her MTB was loaded.

Once I got the mounts sorted, I worked on keeping the base from sliding around as I drove. Wasn't really a big deal as the base would slide, but nit much. But it would annoy me and so, I created a couple of aluminum brackets to secure to the base and then took out the tow/cargo hooks in the back.

I used a set of longer bolts to thread from the bottom up vs the top down like the tow hook bolts were used. I then made a spacer and added a nut to secure it all and expose just enough thread to poke up through those aluminum brackets I made. This allowed the bolts to stay in the back when removing the base piece. I just ad a nut to secure the base and no sliding!!!!

Misc fun stuff...

Added a wireless Apple Car Play Double DIN radio to modernize the interior. There aren't a lot out there that are what I would call reasonably priced. I went with a brand that some laugh at, but gets solid reviews for the wireless Apple Car Play. Love it so far.

I was having a rattle in the front that was driving me MAD! Like a loose bolt and a washer rattling... I discovered the front caliper was not working properly and the pistons were frozen. Pulled a bit when braking, but had the anti-rattle hardware also missing and just sucked... So, I went to the big brake setup. Just simply ordered brand new OEM 13WH calipers and the OEM 13.3" rotors. Since I had the 17" TRD Pro wheels, all was going to be fine. Was an easy upgrade and now no rattle and brakes smooth as butter!

I also found a rear spoiler in the correct color. A bit of a challenge on instal and will be doing that soon. Just trying to sort the position of the plastic clip as used on the OEM one. Shouldn't be too hard, but the spoiler will make it look better. Went with the flat version due to hauling things on top and raising the tailgate.

I also want to find a Sport hood and install to get that intake scoop look. Sorta silly to think about, but just the little things make me smile. Will try and find one complete and get painted. Trying to find the right color seems to be a challenge.

In the end, I think she is pretty damn cool. Probably will get rock rails and maybe do some smaller things as I go. But for now, she is really making me happy.
Attached Images
Lizard10 build thread...-img_9436-jpg  Lizard10 build thread...-img_9433-jpg  Lizard10 build thread...-img_9473-jpg  Lizard10 build thread...-img_9599-jpg  Lizard10 build thread...-img_9600-jpg  Lizard10 build thread...-img_9619-jpg  Lizard10 build thread...-img_9614-jpg 
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Old 04-10-2021, 11:13 AM #2
Lizard10 Lizard10 is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Ohio
Posts: 16
Lizard10 is on a distinguished road
Lizard10 Lizard10 is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Ohio
Posts: 16
Lizard10 is on a distinguished road
Bike setup and before and after...
Attached Images
Lizard10 build thread...-img_9638-jpg  Lizard10 build thread...-img_9636-jpg  Lizard10 build thread...-img_9612-jpg  Lizard10 build thread...-img_9647-jpg  Lizard10 build thread...-img_9640-jpg 
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Old 04-10-2021, 12:25 PM #3
Swipter Swipter is offline
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Swipter will become famous soon enough Swipter will become famous soon enough
Swipter Swipter is offline
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Swipter will become famous soon enough Swipter will become famous soon enough
I love that bike setup. If I start riding again I may have to steal that idea.
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Old 04-10-2021, 02:50 PM #4
k_marshall k_marshall is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lizard10 View Post
So, thought I would share my build so far. Nothing crazy and nothing as sweet as some of the rigs I have seen on here, but it is a work in progress and a lot of fun building...

Picked up my 2008 SR5 4x4 used with 200k on the clock. Had been very selective in what I wanted and even though I wanted a white one, found this Ti Metallic and fell in love.

While just above average miles per year, it had a solid frame with a well maintained underside. Actually had the Bilstien 5100 leveling kit on it and a remote start. Unfortunately, the owner didn't know where the remote was so, I can't use it...

But, it was solid, ran great, 4x4 worked awesome and everything other than the passenger front window switch worked perfectly.

The interior was flawless with no tears, worn out seat support and while a few beauty scratches on the plastic in the back, it was super clean.

Day2:

I decided to start looking for wheels. Was actually slated to pick up a set from a guy along the way home, but he didn't seem all that interested in meeting and was very difficult to work with. I actually waited over an hour where we said we would meet and he never even returned a text or anything. So, I rolled. He of course texted the next day... Too bad!! But, I wasn't flustered. I decided to do what anyone would do - black out the headlights! HAHAHAHA!

Did the ol' bake and paint. I actually skipped an important step and forgot to wipe clean the inside of the lights. Really sucks because I did the 3M headlight restore process and realized my mistake once they were crystal clear... I later used an air nozzle and blew out a lot of the dust, but would recommend doing this prior to sealing.

In doing the headlights, I sealed around the edges with Permatex sealant to make double sure to not have a leak. What a difference and glad I did it.

LEDs for all!

Yup, replaced every single bulb inside and out with an LED. Simply worked through pages here for best bulbs and companies and ordered everything in a few stages. My GF actually gets somewhat annoyed at how bright the interior lights are when the door opens at night. :P

I didn't realize the marker lights needed to be amber. I didn't catch that when ordering until I pulled the old ones. But, I actually like the fact that the marker lights are clear white LED and the turns amber. I of course didn't have to do the tails (red markers) as they are already LED stock. But even the license plate lights and door lights. Makes a world of difference.

Now, I need to replace a bulb in the info panel under the radio...

WHEELS!!!

So, after losing out on the older gen TRD wheels, I made a post on our Ohio 4Runners FB page. A friend directed someone to me as I had asked the group. Found a guy that had a 2021 TRD Pro (GORGEOUS colorway!) and was selling his wheels. He literally had maybe 200 miles on them before he replaced them. Came with the TPMS units and everything. Couldn't have been happier! Got some new skins for the wheels and mounted them up. SOOOOO much cleaner and looked more aggressive yet still had that clean look.

I hate black plastic and chrome!

I can't stand chrome. Hate it. A lot. So, went down the road in getting the badges either removed or painted. I also hate the black plastic look of the door handles and mirrors... So, I went to a friend that wraps cars for a living and had him wrap the mirror surrounds (keeping the base black to allow some contrast), door handles, rear tailgate chrome piece, and outside surround on grille to match the body color. Even got the metallic to match! Made it look more modern and one step closer to no more chrome.

He also wrapped the center portion of the grille in matte black to create some contrast and eliminate that chrome.

I then removed the badges on the door and rear tailgate.

My only thing left was the front and rear Toyota emblems. I do not want to plasti-Dip them at all. I am probably going to see if the overlay badges for the newer gens will work. Otherwise, I will pull them and paint them to hold up.

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike..."

So, I have retired from motorcycle racing and have picked up MTB and road bicycles as a hobby. I have a van from the racing that easily could haul everything, but the 4Runner was to be an adventure machine and I wanted to be able to load our bikes up and travel to wherever we wanted, ride, hike, kayak, etc. I have a Skybox and wanted to be able to haul the bikes inside for when we travel and stay overnight in a hotel, eat, etc...

There are a lot of options out there. But, I like making things and decided to create a bike hauler for the back. I wanted something I could remove and put in and out without causing issue. So, I bought some PVC trim material, a few bike mounts and some hardware...

The base was easy. Just jigsaw the shape I wanted. The challenge was to get the base located in the right spot to allow the different style of bikes to fit. The MTBs sit back further and nothing comes close to the rear glass. However, the road bikes have the brakes in a position that if too far towards the back, they hit the glass. Not a good thing when shutting the tailgate...

So, found the right spot, did a few dry runs on positioning of the different bikes. We never take all four at the same time so, I needed to be able to haul two at a time. The road bikes have a QR base which is common. My GF's MTB is also a QR fork while mine is a 15mm. So, I simply was able to use the QR mount for each of her bikes at any time and then just needed to add the 15mm so it worked when her MTB was loaded.

Once I got the mounts sorted, I worked on keeping the base from sliding around as I drove. Wasn't really a big deal as the base would slide, but nit much. But it would annoy me and so, I created a couple of aluminum brackets to secure to the base and then took out the tow/cargo hooks in the back.

I used a set of longer bolts to thread from the bottom up vs the top down like the tow hook bolts were used. I then made a spacer and added a nut to secure it all and expose just enough thread to poke up through those aluminum brackets I made. This allowed the bolts to stay in the back when removing the base piece. I just ad a nut to secure the base and no sliding!!!!

Misc fun stuff...

Added a wireless Apple Car Play Double DIN radio to modernize the interior. There aren't a lot out there that are what I would call reasonably priced. I went with a brand that some laugh at, but gets solid reviews for the wireless Apple Car Play. Love it so far.

I was having a rattle in the front that was driving me MAD! Like a loose bolt and a washer rattling... I discovered the front caliper was not working properly and the pistons were frozen. Pulled a bit when braking, but had the anti-rattle hardware also missing and just sucked... So, I went to the big brake setup. Just simply ordered brand new OEM 13WH calipers and the OEM 13.3" rotors. Since I had the 17" TRD Pro wheels, all was going to be fine. Was an easy upgrade and now no rattle and brakes smooth as butter!

I also found a rear spoiler in the correct color. A bit of a challenge on instal and will be doing that soon. Just trying to sort the position of the plastic clip as used on the OEM one. Shouldn't be too hard, but the spoiler will make it look better. Went with the flat version due to hauling things on top and raising the tailgate.

I also want to find a Sport hood and install to get that intake scoop look. Sorta silly to think about, but just the little things make me smile. Will try and find one complete and get painted. Trying to find the right color seems to be a challenge.

In the end, I think she is pretty damn cool. Probably will get rock rails and maybe do some smaller things as I go. But for now, she is really making me happy.
Doesn't look like it spent 12 years in midwest. Frame is really good.
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Old 04-10-2021, 03:38 PM #5
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Nice updates! That frame is nothing to scoff at, not a spec of rust


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Old 04-12-2021, 09:34 AM #6
Lizard10 Lizard10 is offline
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Originally Posted by k_marshall View Post
Doesn't look like it spent 12 years in midwest. Frame is really good.
It didn't. Started life in FL...
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Old 04-12-2021, 09:35 AM #7
Lizard10 Lizard10 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by montijo505 View Post
Nice updates! That frame is nothing to scoff at, not a spec of rust


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Yup. The number one reason I bought it. I will continue to have the underside treated each winter. Plus, will rarely drive it unless needed for snow travel.
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