KneeCaps build thread/DIY/Vehicle story/Lots of Pics

[Apex Overland]

Apex Overland Build Thread. aka kneecaps build thread

So we have changed over our instagram name, started our facebook, and launched the <a href="http://apexoverland.com/">WEBSITE</a>, this was the last name change to be done. Thank you admins for doing this for us.







Ive been looking on this site for a few years now, and we finally decided that a 4runner would suit our needs better than my tundra(the wife wants to get into camping finally, and a full size tundra doesn't do so well at Uwharrie). So we stopped by a dealership in early september to look at 4runners and to just see how much they would give us for my tundra, expecting to laugh at the offer and drive away without a new car. Well 2 hours later we were back on the road in a new 4runner and both of us wondering, "what the heck just happened???". they made us a offer for my truck that was so high I asked him to run the #'s again to make sure he quoted us right, he did, we picked one out, the rest is history.

the reason we went with a SR5 over the trail is, the crawl control is cool, but never had it before, don't need it and we think its just a marketing tool. KDSS is cool, but again never had it, don't need it. the interior is the same, the rockers on the trail and SR5 are the same now, and the skid plates are all the same on the 2014 up models. only thing that we saw beneficial was the rear locker... hmmm 5.5k more for a rear locker, a quick search on the iPhone in the dealer parking lot, ARB has a FRONT and REAR AIR locker on sale often for 1900. SR5 IT IS!!!
Plus A-TRAC is Amazing in the mean time. and yes...its 4x4.




the 4 runner looks so small to a lifted tundra haha.


shot of it when we got back to the house





Well me being who I am, and Uwharrie only being a short drive away, that weekend we took it to Uwharrie OHV park and took it down Wolfs Den and Fall Dam. The truck only had 300 miles on it, wife was not happy but "supportive", haha :suspicious:

 

[Apex Overland]

Got home sunday night and decided a lift a sliders need to happen fast, we didn't have any issues on the trails, but we want to be able to tackle Daniel Trail at uwharrie this coming year. pulled up craigslist, found a heck of a deal, Monday afternoon came home with a truck full of goodies, our daughter was happy too!!! haha



OPOR sliders and a Toytec lift with bilstiens and LR UCAs for almost half the price, yes please!!! can now be purchased <a href="http://apexoverland.com/#!/***FREE-SHIPPING-***-BOSS-Suspension-System-for-03+-4Runner-FJ-and-GX460/p/69411067/category=20818003">HERE</a>


the wife was getting kind of mad that I was getting shinny stuff so we went out a bought her a 4wheeler so she can have some fun too at uwharrie...

 

[Marcocopuffs]

Got home sunday night and decided a lift a sliders need to happen fast, we didn't have any issues on the trails, but we want to be able to tackle Daniel Trail at uwharrie this coming year. pulled up craigslist, found a heck of a deal, Monday afternoon came home with a truck full of goodies, our daughter was happy too!!! haha



OPOR sliders and a Toytec lift with bilstiens and LR UCAs for almost half the price, yes please!!!


the wife was getting kind of mad that I was getting shinny stuff so we went out a bought her a 4wheeler so she can have some fun too at uwharrie...

Nice... How much did you pick it up for if you don't mind?

 

[Apex Overland]

The Boss lady Barred me from putting the lift on until the truck has at least the second oil change on it, plus uwharrie is closed for the year, so the Toytec is in the storage building waiting on this spring along side some 285/70/17 terra grapplers that again, got a heck of a deal on. SHHH!!! I don't think she knows ive got tires too stashed in the building...


but in the mean time I can work on the roof... :thumb:

after about a month of searching for the right roof rack, GOBI, Drabbits, Ergo, Baja, Etc. none of them really had what I was looking for, and seeing the prices on them!!! $$$$$ :wacko: $$$$$

I decided to make my own, I'm a Machinist and a Fabricator at work so, "lets do this", about $300 in 1" DOM, my small Shop/Shed out back, 4 days of work(have 2 weeks off for Christmas), some odds and ends, and a little know how made my own.
here's some of the pics of the process...



bench top drill press ive had for years...



new harbor freight tube notcher...


Lincoln 110 MIG ive had for awile..



figuring out how to make spacers for the mounts

 

[Apex Overland]

Nice... How much did you pick it up for if you don't mind?

the stuff for the 4runner, $1100 if i remember right, and the 4wheeler 2800

 

[Apex Overland]

more pics of the process...

 

[Apex Overland]

Ive used Square for the cross beams where i know i will be mounting storage boxes/water cans/fuel/ and later a RTT if i feel like it. all the others are made of the same 1" round DOM




fronts tacked in place and most of the cross sections are tacked in also


time for the upper sides to work there way on


upper side piece and one of the risers...

 

[Apex Overland]

test piece i did early on to make sure i was getting good penetration, don't mind the blobby weld on the end!!


crappy iphone pic of the mount and cross bars getting final welded


sides are up



it stopped raining and the wind stopped blowing finally so i could work outside


a little tweaking to get everything square for the final welding on the main structure.

 

[Apex Overland]

test fit before i zap everything together for good!!



everything fit up good, came out square with-in a 1/8", i jumped up there to make sure everything was strong and it wouldn't collapse haha. I don't have any pics of me being scared about falling thru to the roof. but it held, i even jumped up and down a couple times on each bar to see if they would bend. i weight 170-175 and me standing on the round DOM it only flexed a 1/4" and me jumping only 3/8", the square didn't move enough for my wax gauge to measure, possibly a 1/8" with me jumping on it. Side to Side i jerked on it and had the truck rocking pretty good and the gauge again didn't move. Success!!!!


scuffed the whole thing up really good with a wire brush wheel and put a coat of self etch primer on it and let it sit in the shed with a heater over night. came out the next morning to a green pretty roof rack.




scuffed the thing up with a scotch bright pad and started to truck bed line it.
this stuff is actually pretty darn good, did the whole bed of my old truck in it and it lasted 2 years before i got rid of it(and i didn't take it easy on it haha). going to do the top of the sliders this spring as my wife has slipped a few times when they get wet, powder coat is pretty but slick.





the back end of the tube at the back of the vehicle have washers welded as plugs, the holes are capped off with rubber plugs so later i can run power to some lights.



front end of the rack

 

[Apex Overland]

i don't have any pics of me making the front feet for it, just got carried away and didn't snap any. you will see them later, they rest on top of the rubber drip rail molding, i didn't like the other racks designs of resting on the roof its self, again, i hopped up on top and it BARLY pushed down on the molding, i don't plan on loading anything heavy to the front anyways.

gasket making time for the mounts. camper top seal and RTV.


skillful cutting....





front foot gasket/protective foot.


getting ready to find its home...

 

[Apex Overland]

one last test haha, wife made me.



as you can see the oval risers/mounts push down on the rubber seal around the plastic tubes coming out of the roof. that and a good squirt of RTV to make sure the water stays out of the truck. you can also see that the mounting plates will also hit the rubber drip rail too sharing some of the weight.





front foot

 

[wfo9]

Nice job on the rack.

 

[Marcocopuffs]

Nice job on the rack.

+1 nice rack.... Nice roof rack too

 

[buchaja]

Welcome to the forum. I enjoyed looking through your pics and reading about you making your new rack. Congrats on the 4Runner, and thanks for the story.

 

[Oeconomia]

Very nice work. Looks like you are a skilled fabricator.

Subscribed to the thread. Can't wait to see more.

 

[On Point]

rack looks great! can you post a pic of the rear of it near the antenna?

 

[Apex Overland]

well it got mounted up, looked good and i took the rest of the day off, went to hop in the truck the next morning to go to gander mountain and i sounded like a c130 was flying a foot off my roof. CRAP!!
I wasn't planning on running a wind fairing, i like the looks of a rack with out one, wells plans changed i guess. got out the cardboard and started to figure out what works and what i liked the looks of.

one of the crazy designs i had, didn't work at all...


after about 6-8 designs, many highway trips, some Polycarbonate, and TWO FREAKING days later, I've got the finished product. wind noise is very slight, didn't listen for it before to compare it to, but its about as loud as the mirror are at 80mph, but the radio on low and i can't hear a thing. Wifes Happy, Im happy. The only thing left to do is make the removable mesh floor which is a full sheet of extrusion and costs $220, ill wait for a few weeks, plus uwharrie doest open up for a few months.

The INSIDE dimensions are as follows;
84" from the top front bar to the back(actual usable room).
46" inside side to side in the front and middle, 45 5/8" rear. The reason for it being skinnier in the rear is that the roof is skinnier as it goes back.
2 3/4" tall from the top of the cross bar to the top of the sides.

from what I've read that seems to be a little more room than one i could have bought. Also not sure if you can tell from it in the pics but the rack is not level, it slopes and follows the roof line a little, this was one of the biggest challenges to keep it square and follow the roof at the same time.

Im very satisfied with it, and for only about $550 total, including paint, bolts, the 1"DOM, square tube, gasket, RTV, two 1 1/8" hole saws I burned thru, a little wire and gas, and some time. i saved a lot of money for more things to do to the truck.

Well you have waited long enough, picks of the finished product.





the front of the fairing sits on the edge of the windshield and roof line, no rubber trim needed.

 

[Apex Overland]

pic request of the shark fin antenna, the signal is not affected at all, my free subscription has seemed to run out, haha, but i get the free demo channels clear still. also the reason i went with the square back and not round is my wife found some water tight bins that i plan on mounting in the back and the corners of those are square.

its kind of hard to get a pic of but the fin sits about a 1/8" under the top of the cross beams, plan is that after the mesh is put down the floor will be completely flat and the antenna will be protected. the cross bar in front of it is one of the Square ones so its going to get covered up with boxes and storage anyways.

 

[Apex Overland]

a better pic..

 

[jrandom]

Looks sweet! nice work, that rack is tight. :

I would follow [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] 's advice and put down something over the paint where the fairing contacts. It will wear, I had a Yak fairing on my old pickup sitting in the same place your is, it rubbed through the the paint in a hurry. Getting rustascious cancer that close to your windshield seal is, well ask my old truck, bad news.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/112535-check-your-fairing.html#post1033807