[ahtoxa11]

I'm making this thread to not only document the build process, but also share related experiences and adventures.

So, let's start with the build.

I purchased it in early 2019 and not two days later, my GF and I took it to Arkansas for a long weekend getaway to a cabin. A few months later, we took a road trip to Colorado.

On a service road somewhere north of Durango.
Untitled by anthony zanegin, on Flickr

Until summer of 2020 she stayed stock. I had a new job, we moved a couple of times and we were living in TX at the time, so there was little time to wheel. In the meantime, she was performing towing duty with a couple of moves. I've towed more and more often in my Runner than I did in 3 years of owning an F150 prior to that. She did great!

We moved into a new (rented) house in October of 2019. We were still in TX and this was a local move. A couple of trips with the trailer and she did well.
Untitled by anthony zanegin, on Flickr

Then, in June of 2020 was when I started to mod in earnest. By this point, my GF and I knew that we were going to target moving to CO by the end of the year, so I though -- why not? Let's start the build now rather than wait to move.

First things: Kings. Running 550 front spring, Superflex 2.0 in the rear with remote res. The rears are adjustable, the fronts are not. Partly this was due to parts availability (due to COVID) as well as me not really needed the adjustments in the fronts. Rear adjustment was necessary for towing. More on that later. I've also installed 285/70 KO2s at the same time as the lift.
Untitled by anthony zanegin, on Flickr

Here's how she sat after the install. I ended up adjusting the front about 1/4" higher or so to level it out a little more. I didn't want to have a fully level ride as I tend to carry gear and I don't like butt sag.

This is how she sat after the fronts were adjusted. Bonus content: sliders.
IMG_0028 by anthony zanegin, on Flickr

Next mod was the aforementioned sliders. I went with RSG with top plates and kickouts, also angled. I've always had straight sliders, but the kickouts saved my rear quarter from a tree root, and I'm always recommending this option for 4runners.
Untitled by anthony zanegin, on Flickr

For a while, this was it. I was busy with a work project, COVID was all over the place and I wasn't driving much due to working from home. She sat all pretty with nowhere to go. The local wheeling wasn't that great either...

In late October of 2020, the time to move finally arrived. My GF packed a small trailer with things we needed for the next two weeks while the movers handled the rest. She was driving her 2017 Rav4 and I was on trailer duty. I'd say there was around 2000 lbs including the trailer itself - mainly a bed, a table, clothes, tools some dishes, etc. And, most importantly, my bikes

This is when the adjustable rears were super handy. On the softest setting, I was getting a lot of bounce that was transmitting from the trailer. I turned up the dampers about 8 clicks from soft and she rode super smooth from there.
Untitled by anthony zanegin, on Flickr

Arrived to CO! We settled in Fort Collins as a choice to escape some of the Denver hubbub while also staying near a larger town. My GF is a social worker, so she mainly works in person and can't do as much remote stuff, so being near a town with good job opportunities was important.
Untitled by anthony zanegin, on Flickr

A few months go by. We are settled in and been exploring the local stuff before a lot of snow hit. Many trails are seasonally closed, but even with that, it's still a TON better than in Midwest where I grew up or in northern TX.

My stock skids didn't look that great any more, and I wanted more protection anyway, so I've decided to install RCI aluminum skids - full set including the gas tank. The install was smooth, everything lined up very well and I was pleased with the quality of the RCI skids. The mounting is great and keeps hardware exposure to the minimum so there's less risk of shearing bolts on the trail.
Untitled by anthony zanegin, on Flickr

This basically brings us to today. I don't have any pictures, but I did do the ECGS needle bearing replacement, which I had a local shop do. I was getting significant grinding/rumbling at around 30-40 mph. It started some time ago after the lift, but I can't say exactly how long ago. Once the ECGS bushing was installed instead of the needle bearing, things were back to quiet. I also did front and rear diff fluids at the same time as the rig has just under 30k on it now.

Here is how she sits as of last weekend, after a muddy adventure trying to gauge which areas are passable in the northern foothills.
Untitled by anthony zanegin, on Flickr

My experiences to date have been very positive. The needle bearing was kind of expected after the lift, so I don't consider this an issue. The only problem I've had with the truck was a leaky coolant reservoir, which I noticed early on when the truck was new. The cap didn't seal well, so Toyota replaced the res and the cap.

As far as mods go? I wouldn't do anything different, really, maybe except tires. I am kind of bummed with the KO2s as they are hard to balance and they cup pretty easily even with good alignment and mild driving habits. I've also had to replace one of the tires under warranty with BFG (Michelin) as it required 15oz of weight during a rotation. It was in the rear so I didn't feel it much until it was rotated to the front and shoot like a broken washing machine.


More to come. Spring is almost here and there will be plenty of adventures here in CO. I've a Moab trip for this year as well as a number of trips around here. Really happy to be here in CO -- that's the only good thing that came out of COVID for me. It allowed me to work remotely full time.