Back in June, I put money down on a new barcelona red 2021 TRD Off Road premium to replace my old 2002 sport edition. It finally showed up at the dealership today, on my birthday! The only option I ordered was the moonroof, which I really liked in my old 4Runner. I’m a total newb with the 5th gens, so this will be a learning experience for me.

I have lots of plans for building up this 4Runner, and have been doing a ton of research. My goal with this 4Runner (like it was with my old truck) is to make it really stand out from all the rest of the 4Runners. Therefore, I plan to design and build a lot of the things myself, like bumpers, roof rack, etc.

I can’t wait to get started on this thing, but first a tribute to my old 3rd gen:




It sure was a great truck, and I miss it every day. Unfortunately it was just getting too old and rusty, so after 15 years of ownership, it was time to move to something newer. Now for the new:






There is so much new technology in this thing that I need to get familiar with, its scary! I’m an old-school kind of guy.

Stay tuned for what I hope will be an exciting build. First mods coming very soon!

So what are your plans for this new build? Looking forward to seeing it come along! 👍

Congratulations and looking forward to your new build!

I love the integrated lights on the '02 roof rack! Real subtle.

Congrats on the rig though! I'm wishing I would have gone with the red. Super pretty when clean.
So to make it different, I'm assuming ICON suspension, Method or TRD Pro Wheels, Prerunner lights up front, TRD Pro front grill swap, and blacking out all the emblems? lol

Thanks guys. One-of-a-kind features on this build will be custom bumpers, roof rack, sliders, wheels, old school graphics, and eventually wider fender flares, just to name a few. Right now I need to focus on paint protection and undercoating before winter hits, and probably a few minor cosmetic things. I do have some parts piling up in the garage already though.

17x9" -38mm SCS Ray10 wheels in black:

(These will be customized, before being installed.)

4xInnovations Rock Sliders:

(Custom plates will be added to open areas.)

Toytec 1" body lift:


This will be a daily driver, with occasional weekend forest trails - nothing hardcore. So lift will probably be Toytec's Boss 2.5 Aluma Series (Waiting to see if they are on sale on Black Friday before ordering) and JBA Upper control arms. Also planning on 34" Goodyear Duratrac tires.

Clearancing for larger wheels/tires will be happening this winter, and hoping to have the "stance" completed by late winter. Then start designing roof rack and bumpers.

A couple of small updates. First, I painted the silver bumper inserts. I think they look much better in black to match all the other black trim. Secondly, I installed the 1" body lift. And finally, I got the first coat of wax on it.






Its starting to look better already.

Did you get rid of that 3rd gen? Holy shit that thing is sweeeeeeet!

Thanks. Yes, I sold it. The frame was getting too rusty for me to be comfortable with.

That 3rd gen is what the 2023 or whatever the next generation is should look like. Just with all modern running gear, lockers all around, and state of the art lighting and safety features.

I loved your build on the 3rd gen and am stoked to see what you do with this 5th gen! Congrats on the new ride, how are you liking it after having it for a little bit now?

Sent from my KB2007 using Tapatalk

Oh man, your 3rd gen is incredible. I can't wait to see how your 5th gen builds out!! Stoked you're going the DIY route, thats future goals for me.. just need a bigger shop and to learn how to weld.

Thanks. I do miss the 3rd gen, but am getting used to the 5th gen.

Thanks. I was doing some minor fabrication today. I'll be posting updates soon.

Small update. I finalized the filler plate design for my 4xInnovation sliders:


I bought a small plasma cutter a few months ago, and am anxious to try it out, and start cutting the filler plates. After welding in the filler plates, I will be creating my own mounts for the sliders. More to come...

I have been working hard on the sliders, and finally finished all the fabrication. I really like the way they turned out:




I'm going to try to get them powdercoated satin black in the next few weeks.

I mentioned earlier about customizing my SCS Ray 10 wheels. I'm doing this by creating fake beadlock rings that bolt onto the wheels. I started with 4 squares of 3/16" thick aluminum sheets. I designed and built a circle guide for my plasma cutter, to ensure getting perfect circles cut.


After a lot of cutting, grinding, filing, and sanding, this is what I ended up with:


I also bought longer bolts and painted them black:


Here is one of the rings bolted onto the wheel.

And a preview of what it will look like on the 4Runner:


The rings will be painted red to match the 4Runner color. I drop them off Wednesday to get powdercoated.