Recent content by Team_Jake

Just weighed mine this morning. 5560lbs (fuel tank full, + full sized spare tire/wheel and some spare parts in the cargo area, no one inside). It’s on tons and 40s so I expected it to be heavy, unfortunately it’s not going to get any lighter.

2TH4IST My fuel hose is a "flexible" (not really) 2in wire re-enforced fuel filler hose I got from my local O'reilly. It's not perfect, but it's working now so I'm not going to mess with it unless it starts to become an issue.

Here’s a little clip of me going up Soup Bowl (though I did stall it at the apex like a kook): <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_wcieMA8b-w?si=i0DtnIwieepwpwR-&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay...

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I took the 4Runner to the Rubicon trail recently. It was a good shake down for the rig. My wife and 2.5yo son joined and we got a few solid camping/wheeling days out of it. We drove it to and from the trail from San Diego, no trailering. Thankfully we...

phattyduck This picture probably doesn’t show it well, but you can see the drum/line fairly well at the bottom of the grill. In order to activate the clutch on the winch, I have to open the hood and reach behind the grill to turn it. I will be the first to admit it is not the most...

The stock master cylinder can’t cut it with the size of the brakes from these 1-ton axles and these 40” tires. To solve that, I swapped in a master cylinder from a late 80s Suburban, ACDelco part number 18M1884 (it has a 1-1/4” bore, as compared to the OEM 13/16” bore, so the stopping power of...

With the custom front frame section I need to build a custom front bumper. I’ve spent quite a bit of time designing it in SolidWorks, I want a low-profile plate style bumper with an excellent approach angle. I’m incorporating in some Baja Designs Squadron Pros and S8 lights (part numbers 597815...

I pulled it out of the garage for the first time in a long time and gave it a much needed wash. Without the fenders trimmed, the 4runner really couldn't do anything other than go straight. Nothing an angle grinder, sawzall, mini sledge hammer, and a welder couldn't fix. First I ripped off...

In order to get the rear triangulated 4-link to fit properly, I swapped in an F150 fuel tank (Spectra Premium part number F1G1FA). I wanted the fuel gauge on the dash to work like stock, so I made a bracket that can attach the Toyota sending unit to the Ford fuel pump. The float arm required...

JBurt they are 2.5”x8” coilovers producing 14” of travel

The moment of truth <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AdzvX19zwoU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> And the inside of the cab stayed completely intact.

Fabbing together the "grasshopper" cantilever suspension. For the spindles I used Trail-Gear's Swingout Spindle Kit (part number 306503-KIT). The small notch in the frame was necessary to keep the coilover springs from interfering when flexed.

The motion ratio is 1.75:1. Yes, I performed an FEA on the rocker arm, it has a 3.5x safety factor at the force it would take to completely bottom out the suspension, and the spindles are rated 3500lbs (should be able to handle more before breaking, that’s just the rated load). It’ll be strong...

Moving on to the rear axle, this is where it get's a little weird. Designing the rear suspension was a challenge, especially when trying to match performance of the front. As can be seen with the front, in order to fit the 2.5" x 14" coilovers, the top mounts are nearly touching the hood...

JBurt phattyduck Thanks for the kind words! For the wheels I bought five 17x9 Raceline Avenger Beadlocks (4.5" BS). I wasn't a fan of the machine finish on a white vehicle, so I painted them with Dupli-color Graphite wheel paint (I used primer, paint, and a 2k clear coat, the finish came out...