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Old 09-11-2020, 09:50 PM #1
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Talking Smeerun's Build Log

Hey T4R!

Here's the story: In January 2019, I went up to Tahoe with a couple of friends and drove my 2012 Honda Accord Coupe, we knew a storm was coming in but were NOT prepared for the amount of snow dump. We had a fresh 20in of snow on top of the hot tub EACH MORNING for three days. Needless to say, we were snowed in and had to extend the vacation by 3 days while we waited for the snow to stop coming down. At the sign of a clear sky we went for it... and only made it about 50ft from the driveway of our Airbnb before we (somehow) broke one of my (cheap Walmart) snow chains. A neighbor saw us struggling and offered to drive me into town to buy some new chains, what a guy! What did he drive? His 4Runner made quick work of the fresh pow and he had nothing but good things to say about how much he enjoyed the vehicle. That sealed the deal right then and there. "F*ck getting stuck in the snow I want a 4Runner!" And ever since that day I have been a lurker here while saving $$ to buy a 4Runner.

Fast forward to about four weeks ago, my SO and I have decided to move closer to the family on the East Coast. We decided our plan is to make a road trip of it so I sold the Accord and went hunting for the perfect 4Runner. I found a 2016 MGM Trail Premium w/KDSS in CO, perfect CarFax, and 2 owners. SOLD! Had it shipped to CA and for the last couple of weeks, I have been the happiest man alive!

This won't be some crazy overlander build, but I do have some plans for it! And let's face it, we're all 4runner-picture-whores who don't care if we've seen the same mod on 12 other 4Runners so this is going to be my progress log to document its evolution.

Enjoy!
~smee

-------------------------

First a few pics from the CarGurus ad:




The Interior is flawless:


The glorious moment the delivery truck arrived:


Engine bay clean as can be:


We immediately took it for a quick road trip in Nevada and here I am after taking some baby steps in some dirt:


I have been quite busy this past week doing a few upgrades and prepping the truck for sleeping in. Pics to follow!
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[Smeerun's Build Log] - 2016 4Runner Trail Premium MGM w/KDSS

Exterior: Toyo OC A/T III 265/70/17 (TE Wheels) | Dobinsons UCA's + C59-302/GS59-700 Front + C59-500/GS59-705 Rear | C4 Rock Sliders | SSO Roof Rack | Ironman 8.5" Awning | Tacoma Low-Profile Antenna | Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro Fogs | CTH Folding Mirrors + LED Sequential Blinker Mirrors
Interior: VanTrue N4 3-chan Dashcam | Husky Liners Floor Mats | Canvasback Rear Covers | Blue Ridge "Attic"

Last edited by smeerun; 12-08-2020 at 12:08 AM.
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Old 09-11-2020, 10:25 PM #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smeerun View Post
Hey T4R!

Here's the story: In January 2019, I went up to Tahoe with a couple of friends and drove my 2012 Honda Accord Coupe, we knew a storm was coming in but was NOT prepared for the amount of snow dump. We had a fresh 20in of snow on top of the hot tub EACH MORNING for three days. Needless to say, we were snowed in and had to extend the vacation by 3 days while we waited for the snow to stop coming down. at the sign of a clear sky we went for it... and only made it about 50ft from the driveway of our Airbnb before we (somehow) broke one of my (cheap Walmart) snow chains. A neighbor saw us struggling and offered to drive me into town to buy some new chains, what a guy! What did he drive? His 4th Gen made quick work of the fresh pow and he had nothing but good things to say about how much he enjoyed the vehicle. That sealed the deal right then and there. "F*ck getting stuck in the snow I want a 4Runner!" And ever since that day I have been a lurker here while saving $$ to buy a 4Runner.

Fast forward to about four weeks ago, my SO and I have decided to move closer to the family on the East Coast. We decided our plan is to make a road trip of it so I sold the Accord and went hunting for the perfect 4Runner. I found a 2016 MGM Trail Premium w/KDSS in CO, perfect CarFax, and 2 owners. SOLD! Had it shipped to CA and for the last couple of weeks, I have been the happiest man alive!

This won't be some crazy overlander build, but I do have some plans for it! And let's face it, we're all 4runner-picture-whores who don't care if we've seen the same mod on 12 other 4Runners so this is going to be my progress log to document its evolution.

Enjoy!
~smee

-------------------------

First a few pics from the CarGurus ad:




The Interior is flawless:


The glorious moment the delivery truck arrived:


Engine bay clean as can be:


We immediately took it for a quick road trip in Nevada and here I am after taking some baby steps in some dirt:


I have been quite busy this past week doing a few upgrades and prepping the truck for sleeping in. Pics to follow!

Looks bad ass to me! Have fun !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Old 09-11-2020, 10:30 PM #3
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Welcome from Phoenix and very nice and congrats
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Old 09-11-2020, 10:32 PM #4
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First project: Build a platform to level out the trunk for sleeping!

My SO and I are both on the shorter side and the 4Runner will allow us to sleep comfortably so long as we can lay down FLAT. Mine did not come with the sliding cargo tray (didn't want it anyway!) so I've got about a 3" lip to solve for.

I found this guy's solution and chose this as it was simple: How to Sleep in Your 4Runner - Building a Rear Hatch Pad - S2E55 - YouTube

Unfortunately, the video doesn't give the dimensions of the cuts or how to put it together so I did all of that work for you!

Here is what you'll need:

- 1x 3/4in Thick ATX Plywood cut to 43 3/4in x 41 3/4in
- 3x 34" 2x4
- 2" Wood Screws + Drill
- 1x Can of Wood Clear Coat and a bristle brush (Optional, personal preference)
- 1x Black Fleece Blanket (Optional, Walmart for $6)
- 1x Staple gun + staples (if you opt for the fleece blanket)

Empty back trunk:


Here is my plywood in the side yard ready to be cut:


Dad always said to measure twice and cut once.


Testing out the 2x4's before I cut 'em:


You want the 2x4's to lay from the bottom end of the diagonal slope behind the seats all the way out to the trunk bed lip (34in):


Once those 2x4's are cut, it's time to affix them to the underside of your plywood. Space them out evenly along the 41 3/4in cut of plywood and NOT the 43 3/4in cut. On the back end (closest to where your trunk door will be) you'll want the 2x4's to be 1in from the edge. The two outside 2x4's should be 2in from the sides:




Now drill some holes and screw 'em in with those 2in wood screws!


When you are done it should look like this:


After a light sanding, I did 3 coats across the top and 2 on the underside over the course of a couple of days:


Grabbed a fleece blanket from Walmart:


I had this old staple gun that did the job:


Boom bam! Stapled:


Turned out nicer than I expected:


It fits quite well, there is absolutely no wiggle room between the wheel wells or the back of the seats and trunk:


I can still fold up the seats without any issues:


I am really happy with how this turned out! If I were to change anything it would have been to just cover up the ends of the 2x4's with the fleece blanket so they don't show when I'm looking in the trunk... but that's purely aesthetic.
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[Smeerun's Build Log] - 2016 4Runner Trail Premium MGM w/KDSS

Exterior: Toyo OC A/T III 265/70/17 (TE Wheels) | Dobinsons UCA's + C59-302/GS59-700 Front + C59-500/GS59-705 Rear | C4 Rock Sliders | SSO Roof Rack | Ironman 8.5" Awning | Tacoma Low-Profile Antenna | Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro Fogs | CTH Folding Mirrors + LED Sequential Blinker Mirrors
Interior: VanTrue N4 3-chan Dashcam | Husky Liners Floor Mats | Canvasback Rear Covers | Blue Ridge "Attic"
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Old 09-11-2020, 10:42 PM #5
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Give them a quick hit of black paint. Will never notice.
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Old 09-11-2020, 10:43 PM #6
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Nice vehicle, nice platform!

How long is the total sleeping platform? I’ve always forgotten to bring my tape measure with me when shopping at dealers, and it looks like it isn’t close to accommodating my 6 feet. Unless maybe diagonally?
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Old 09-12-2020, 06:14 PM #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ax2021 View Post
Looks bad ass to me! Have fun !
Quote:
Originally Posted by freak4life View Post
Welcome from Phoenix and very nice and congrats
Thank you both!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmied View Post
Give them a quick hit of black paint. Will never notice.
Good idea! I happen to have some black paint, too. Updates soon.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ST_Jim View Post
Nice vehicle, nice platform!

How long is the total sleeping platform? I’ve always forgotten to bring my tape measure with me when shopping at dealers, and it looks like it isn’t close to accommodating my 6 feet. Unless maybe diagonally?
Thank you!

From the inside of the closed trunk to the back of the collapsed seat is 68.5" If you remove the bottom part of the seats (I believe folks refer to this as "seat deletes") it will yield you another 6" of room.
If you sleep diagonally you get about 80" of length (again, with the seats collapsed).

I think you could make it work, however, sleeping diagonally means you have less functional space to store stuff like camping gear. I'd say it'd be worth going the seat delete route OR doing what this guy does to maximize sleeping space:

^^ That is definitely something I may do in the future. I really like how he can keep the entire build in the back trunk so his seats are functional and he doesn't have to store this in his garage or whatever.
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[Smeerun's Build Log] - 2016 4Runner Trail Premium MGM w/KDSS

Exterior: Toyo OC A/T III 265/70/17 (TE Wheels) | Dobinsons UCA's + C59-302/GS59-700 Front + C59-500/GS59-705 Rear | C4 Rock Sliders | SSO Roof Rack | Ironman 8.5" Awning | Tacoma Low-Profile Antenna | Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro Fogs | CTH Folding Mirrors + LED Sequential Blinker Mirrors
Interior: VanTrue N4 3-chan Dashcam | Husky Liners Floor Mats | Canvasback Rear Covers | Blue Ridge "Attic"
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Old 09-12-2020, 07:21 PM #8
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Congratulations on a very smart choice of vehicle and welcome. Now be prepared to get help from people here who have been there, done that and will be more than happy help you to spend your money!
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Old 09-12-2020, 08:20 PM #9
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Congratulations on a very smart choice of vehicle and welcome. Now be prepared to get help from people here who have been there, done that and will be more than happy help you to spend your money!

Or save some money... Some time it works that way!


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Old 09-12-2020, 10:29 PM #10
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Congrats and love the color, I"m a new owner of MGM as well. Thanks for the heads up on the sleeping pad, I'll probably do the same!
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Old 09-13-2020, 05:43 PM #11
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MGM owner here too. I also leveled out the back cargo area but incorporated a slide-out table into mine.
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Old 09-13-2020, 06:12 PM #12
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My platform build

I built this leveling platform and included some slideouts and tiedowns.
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Old 09-13-2020, 06:19 PM #13
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I really like your tie-down setup. I may look at adding something similar so i can adjust the location of the lashing points for different configurations.
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Old 09-14-2020, 12:14 AM #14
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Quote:
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MGM owner here too. I also leveled out the back cargo area but incorporated a slide-out table into mine.

~img~
Quote:
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I built this leveling platform and included some slideouts and tiedowns.
Whoa! That is brilliant! I definitely have been trying to figure out two things:
1) How to re-gain the tie-downs behind the seats since they are covered with my platform.
2) How to utilize the space underneath the platform.

I now have some answers!

Quote:
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I really like your tie-down setup. I may look at adding something similar so i can adjust the location of the lashing points for different configurations.
I 100% agree. I like the idea of modular anchor points.
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[Smeerun's Build Log] - 2016 4Runner Trail Premium MGM w/KDSS

Exterior: Toyo OC A/T III 265/70/17 (TE Wheels) | Dobinsons UCA's + C59-302/GS59-700 Front + C59-500/GS59-705 Rear | C4 Rock Sliders | SSO Roof Rack | Ironman 8.5" Awning | Tacoma Low-Profile Antenna | Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro Fogs | CTH Folding Mirrors + LED Sequential Blinker Mirrors
Interior: VanTrue N4 3-chan Dashcam | Husky Liners Floor Mats | Canvasback Rear Covers | Blue Ridge "Attic"
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Old 09-14-2020, 01:22 AM #15
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Congrats on the new truck! Looks great! I'm sure it'll serve you well for years to come!
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