[Eugene13]

A little bit in the creature comforts category. My vinyl floor was ripping where my clutch and gas/brake feet go. I wanted to just get a new black carpet set because this vinyl is pretty thrashed anyway, but simple floor mats will do for now.







Also added some much needed fans, as my stock ones do not give off much air. Cheap on amazon, plugs into cigarette lighter. Held on by double sided sticky foam. Eventual fix for this will be real air conditioning.



then I found these cup holders that fold away, looked easy and were SUPER cheap, so I got 2. One for the from passenger and one for the rear. The rear of my center console never had the ashtray so this covers up that hole nicely. Both held on with double sided foam. Eventual fix for this will be a custom built center console.

[okienomads]

Great progress on your 4Runner. What suspension setup do you have?
Also, why go for the tire carrier that mounts to the body? Why not mount to the bumper like most?

[Eugene13]

Originally Posted by okienomads

Great progress on your 4Runner. What suspension setup do you have?
Also, why go for the tire carrier that mounts to the body? Why not mount to the bumper like most?

Thanks! I have a Rough Country 3" lift kit. Its about the best for the money since its only 400$, all new springs and shocks, but its a decently rough ride. I did not want to mount to the bumper because this setup was very cheap and I don't like the bulky look of tire carrier bumpers. The carrier and all metal ran me about 60$, which is cheaper than any carrier bumper or metal to build one myself. I also like how the latch system works on the factory Pathfinder carrier, much better then anything I could think of. I also want to run a very low profile tube bumper in the future. The only negative to me is drilling holes in the sheet metal, but if I take my time and do it cleanly enough it should look like it was meant to be there.

[Eugene13]

Well, big decision coming up. I broke my ring and pinion gear in my rear axle. Took it to a shop, they quoted me 1000$ to fix the rear end and restore it back to 4:10s. They also quoted me 1700$ to regear to 4:88s. I'm not sure which route to take. My truck is already at the shop in pieces. I have been looking into a regear for a while but never had the opportunity to pull the trigger, until now I guess. The way I see it is 1000$ to take it back to stock, or 700$ more for lower gears. So now I ask everybody with regeared rigs, is it worth it?

[Cali 4runner]

You can go back to 4.10s super cheap. Look on craigslist.

Regear is apparently totally worth it but obviously is not cheap.

[Eugene13]

Well the shop already had my truck on their lift and opened up. I would have no time or expertise to set up gears on my own. My truck is also my daily driver and I need it every single day for work and school. If I tried to do it on my own, it would end up being on jack stands on my house for a month or more. He even said it would be ready today!. And if I ever wanted to do a regear in the future after I had them fix it, it would have been a waste of money. SO I bit the bullet and had him regear to 4:88s. Best just to have it done one time and done correctly.

[4runner_kid]

Originally Posted by Eugene13

Well the shop already had my truck on their lift and opened up. I would have no time or expertise to set up gears on my own. My truck is also my daily driver and I need it every single day for work and school. If I tried to do it on my own, it would end up being on jack stands on my house for a month or more. He even said it would be ready today!. And if I ever wanted to do a regear in the future after I had them fix it, it would have been a waste of money. SO I bit the bullet and had him regear to 4:88s. Best just to have it done one time and done correctly.

What gear set's is he using? If you plan to go up to 36 or bigger tires later you might want 5.29s instead.

[Eugene13]

@4runner_kid He used front and rear Yukon 4:88 gear sets with all new bearings and seals. He even threw in a rear v6 third member and redid all my outer axle seals on my front axle cause those were blown out. and as far as ratios I think 4:88s will be good cause im running 33s right now but will probably step up to a 35 in the future and thats about as tall as I want to go. Heres a pic of the old ring and pinion. Look at that!

[4runner_kid]

You did a number on that gear set.

[Eugene13]

Weekend recap. When I went to the rear end shop the guy said I needed to replace my u joints cause they were blown and causing the loud squeaking noise I've been hearing. So I got around to replacing them and man, what a PITA these were. Took me about 5 hours because they caps were seized to the flanges. Started with a BFH, then rented a press tool form AutoZone; made my life much easier. But the squeaking noise I heard is now gone as well as the driveshaft vibration.





Now that my truck is running well and mechanically sound, time to focus on the tire carrier again! Updates soon to come.

Also, my friends dad recently got new wheels and tires. My friend didn't want them so instead, he gave them to me.





35x12.50r17 General Grabber X3s. Pretty good tread life! will probably be running these when my BFGs wear out. As far as wheel options, I kind of want some factory Toyota 17s off newer vehicles, not sure which ones yet though.

[Eugene13]

Made some very good progress on the tire carrier today! Finished sanding and grinding up the other bracket. Drilled the remaining holes.



Then was the big moment, drilling into the sheet metal. This was nerve racking to say the least, didn't wanna mess this up!



Then got some temporary hardware and mounted everything.





Made sure to not stress the sheet metal in any way as I don't have any internal bracing, which is the next step. After that it just comes to the latching mechanism and giving a good coat of paint! Coming together better than I expected!

[Eugene13]

Decided to tackle building a center console today. Had the weekend free and found some 1/2 plywood, so why not try? Started out by making a template out of cardboard. Knew I wanted a real nice high armrest, good storage, places for my switches, usb/12v outlets, and 2 cupholders to fit 32oz Hydroflasks.



Built the storage box, padded the armrest with some foam and leftover canvas. The empty hole is where I plan to put an ABS plate with my usb/12v power.





Then started building the cupholders. (I'm making this in three separate pieces to make everything easier). These are wider than the storage box on account of trying to fit the flasks side by side. Cut the top out with a jigsaw then boxed the rest in. This piece will not be bolted in to make taking it out and cleaning it easier.





Then came the bezel which was the easiest part to build, but the hardest to cut the holes for the switches.





Not finished however. I gave it a nice sanding to take down an abrasions but I plan to wrap it with either vinyl or felt. Should be done next weekend with the wrapping and the ABS plate with the electronics.

[Eugene13]

Finally got around the wrapping the center console. Just used black vinyl that I got at Hobby Lobby while they were having a sale. I'm gonna clean it up a little bit in the meantime.

[OzSurf]

That center console came up sweet! Good job.

Did you end up getting the tire carrier finished?

[Eugene13]

@OzSurf Thanks! and no, I have been busy at school and my dad has been busy at work. Its on the back burner at this point. I wanted to try to get it done by a big bear trip I'm taking next week but I just don't think it'll happen.