'03 Limited V8 slow build

[fogcitysurfer]

Nice build! What winch do you have? Looks like it tucks in nicely.

 

[Yota_Noob]

Muddy trip.


How do you like those tires? After much debate I'll be purchasing a set within the next week most likely. What size are you running?

 

[Krayziekid]

Thanks @Krazyziekid, I should have taken more pics during the install but I was working along and the compressor is surprisingly heavy to work with. If you take this on I suggest some assistance.

To answer your question directly, yes I drilled new holes. I used four flat corner braces and bent them in a vice to the lengths needed.. The compressor has eight mount points on the bottom which allowed me to use the bottom four to secure the compressor. I used the top two to get the angle desired. The bottom bolts are drilled through the fender well with fender washers and rubber washers to keep the water/mud out. I used a rubber washer, fender washer, lock washer and nut to secure it on the inside. The top two are mounted through the firewall into the area that supplies air to the A/C fan. If you remove the cowling you will have access to the back of the firewall form the top. I used a similar setup for bolting down as the fender but I added an extra nut which acts as a locking nut but also created about a half inch space from firewall (due to me bending my braces about 1/2" to short).

All mounting points have rubber washers to reduce noise and also have red lactate to prevent loosening. Once the breather housing was removed I had plenty of room to work. I marked the top of the fender well to know where the back of the breather was to ensure I was clear with my mounts. A cleaner install could be done by bending the mounts in the opposite direction but accessing the bolts would be very difficult.

If you have any specific questions I'm happy to answer. If there are any areas you're curious about let me know and I'll try to get better pics.



The switch came from CH4X4 via Amazon.
Amazon.com: CH4x4 Toyota Push Switch Air Compressor Symbol- White LED: Automotive
They are not as sturdy as a the Carlington switches but for the factory look I was willing to give it a try. My switch seems to be working pretty well but my son has a similar switch for his light bar and the spring seems weak so it's slow to work.

Thanks for all of the insight. I was trying to figure out the best way to mount it in there. It looks like yours is at a bit of an angle. Does it fit flat at all behind the stock v8 airbox? If so, I might have my dad fab up a metal mounting plate/bracket to mount the compressor on. If it isn't able to lie flat, I'll have to rethink it. Might end up going with the single ARB compressor for my tires if it gets too complicated.

Other than that, have you used it at all yet? How is the performance?

 

[elvislives]

Would post some pics of the winch mounting and switch placement. Thanks.

 

[waldosgone]

Got a chance to get in the forest again this weekend.

Found this on the first trail we headed down.

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Second trail was washed out.

One of many water level/flow stations scattered through out the forest.

Lunch view.

Trees were being cleared in some areas and they used this tape to mark the outer areas of the clearings.


Forest road wash out.

I would like to have seen the National Forest shortly after adding all the roads. Many areas have leftovers of some great overlooks and water crossings.


My phone didn't capture it well but this was a great view of the Oauchita National Forest.

Muddy trip.

Favorite area of the Ouachitas.

Hope to check this area out during the summer with the kayak.

Due to recent rains all the creeks were flowing.

I was just down at Broken Bow this past weekend; is this anywhere near there?

 

[llennium]

Nice build! What winch do you have? Looks like it tucks in nicely.

[MENTION=76153]fogcitysurfer[/MENTION], The winch is an Engo E9000S. It's primary use is for clearing trails and it has worked flawlessly for that so far. I don't go out looking for mud/rocks so the winch is "just in case" insurance.
Model E9000S
Massive Multi-Winch Shootout - Four Wheeler Magazine

How do you like those tires? After much debate I'll be purchasing a set within the next week most likely. What size are you running?

[MENTION=125091]Yota_Noob[/MENTION], These tires are great. Quiet so far and performed great in the snow/ice last winter. I was able to pick these up when they first came out and according to my tire shop they only had "E" rated tires available and I would have preferred the "C" tire to improve performance. These are 275/70/17 and with the Daystar lift I had to remove the front mud flaps. I still get an occasional rub when turned and the front dips a little.

I was just down at Broken Bow this past weekend; is this anywhere near there?

@waldasgone, those pics were taken in the Ouachitas north of Hot Springs Village. I would like to do the "K" trail sometime which would get me over to Broken Bow.

Thanks for all of the insight. I was trying to figure out the best way to mount it in there. It looks like yours is at a bit of an angle. Does it fit flat at all behind the stock v8 airbox? If so, I might have my dad fab up a metal mounting plate/bracket to mount the compressor on. If it isn't able to lie flat, I'll have to rethink it. Might end up going with the single ARB compressor for my tires if it gets too complicated.

Other than that, have you used it at all yet? How is the performance?

[MENTION=127401]Krayziekid[/MENTION], mine is angled due to the lack of space. You might be able to work it in there flat but you would need to move the filter box forward a little for clearance.
I haven't used it yet due to waiting on an air hose to come in. It should be here tomorrow so I will provide feedback then.

Would post some pics of the winch mounting and switch placement. Thanks.

[MENTION=130553]elvislives[/MENTION], I don't have any pics of the actual install but I used the Bud Built hidden winch mount. Here's a link to a thread that covers the installation and any issues.
Bud Built Hidden Winch - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum
Currently, the plug for the switch is mounted under the hood and I can get a pick of it tomorrow. I plan on putting switches inside but I haven't found a switch setup I like yet.

 

[llennium]

I was able to get in the forest last weekend and got to use the compressor after the trip. The compressor worked great for two vehicles and then seemed to slow down. Once home and some troubleshooting I discovered only one motor was running. A fuse had blown on one motor and after digging into the harness and removing the cover I'm operating again but I never found the exact problem. Once I corrected the problem I tested the compressor again. I was able to take a 275/70/17 from 0psi to 35psi in 2:00 minutes, not bad.

From 0 to 35 in 2:00 minutes.

This is usually a beautiful creek with plenty of water, it's been a dry summer.

 

[llennium]

I have a four day trip coming up through the Ozarks and needed a way to secure the iPad mini. I purchased an inexpensive Arkon mount to give a try. If this doesn't work out I'll spend the money and get a Ram mount.

Arkon Windshield Dashboard Car Mount

 

[llennium]

The 4th gen 4Runners are really lacking on power outlets. I was able to find a dual USB plug that fits the factory size hole. I tied into the factory power outlet for power. These plugs have a blue LEDs that come on when power is applied. I disassembled and removed the LEDs since I have my power outlet modified to constant power.

MICTUNING 2.1A Dual USB Power Socket for Smart Phone PDA iPad iPhone Charger for Toyota
http://amzn.com/B010KC0JZI

 

[yotaguy674]

Great build, love the stance.

You just made up my mind on what size tire to buy since we have the same lift.:yo:

 

[T4RNightHawk]

I'm curious about how you did your custom roof rack. Could you post some more pictures of it?
Is it truly a roof rack or is it just extra crossmembers.

 

[llennium]

Great build, love the stance.

You just made up my mind on what size tire to buy since we have the same lift.:yo:

[MENTION=124448]yotaguy674[/MENTION], Thanks. I'll warn that I still have some rubbing when turning and the front has mild flex. I have only noticed it when turning into a driveway with a large dip.

I'm curious about how you did your custom roof rack. Could you post some more pictures of it?
Is it truly a roof rack or is it just extra crossmembers.

[MENTION=122620]muscarellaw[/MENTION], I consider it an actual rack and not just crossmembers. I mounted angle iron with spacers on the factory sides and attached unistrut crossmembers to the angle. Here is a write up I put together, it's not great but should give you an idea of what I did.
DIY Unistrut roof rack
I did add a wind faring due to the wind noise on the highway. There are a couple things I would consider changing (and may in the future) but I'm pretty happy with it right now. I have a trip coming up and will take some pics of how I load it out since this will be the first real trip since it was built (if I can figure out what I'm putting up there).

 

[llennium]

I got out with the family this weekend and drove through north Arkansas, no real off-roading but thought I would share a few pics. We drove through Jasper, AR and then headed to Ponca, AR to see if the elk were out (no luck). These were taken with my phone so apologies for the poor quality.

 

[llennium]

Ozarks annual trip 2015

Last weekend I got to spend four days and three nights in the Ozarks with a few friends. We ran part of what some call the "Highwater Mark" or "Arkansas Overland" trail, the rest was a route I planned after some research. After many months of little to no rain we were nearly washed away Thursday night when thunderstorms rolled through. Fortunately we were tucked between a couple mountains and didn't get the brunt of the wind.

We had a mix of vehicles on this trip, stock Jeep/3rd Gen. 4R with 3" lift/Trailblazer with 2" of lift/4th Gen 4R with 2" lift.

Here are a few pics from the trip. I have a few videos from the GoPro I'll post once I have everything cleaned up.

My view from the sleeping bag.

First morning after the storm.

Our view at first camp.

Hitting the road.

Old cemetery we stumbled on.

The water was up due to the storms that came through the night before but were passible. This is the Illinois bayou river.

We stopped in an old country store that was once the Post Office.

My sleep setup for three nights. I used a 40 degree bag with my down coat over legs for extra warmth. I need to look into replacing my sleeping bag or picking up a 20 or 0 degree bag for the cold nights. Due to the storms we had temps in the low 70's the first night and high 30's the last night. I'm still working on the storage box and will post pics once complete.

We had one of the best burgers at the Oark General Store. This is a must if you make it to the Ozarks.

 

[llennium]

On the last trip I played with the GoPro a little. I'm a newb with the editing software but thought I would share anyway.

Annual Ozarks trip 2015

Here are a couple vids a buddy grabbed with his phone so I apologize for the quality.
Crossing Illinois Bayou #1

Crossing Illinois Bayou #2

 

[llennium]

Replaced both front wheel bearings today. The passenger side was in pretty bad shape.

 

[llennium]

Recently I had to pull another 4Runner out of the mud and this got me thinking about the front recovery points. The factory tie points seem beefy enough for most things I might run into but they are small and hard to reach. I don't have plans to replace the front since I like the factory (sleeper) look. Having said this I would still like another option for front recovery.

Since I have the Budbuilt hidden winch mount I thought I would take advantage of the flat plate beside the winch. After digging I found some offset shackle mounts on eBay. I'm sure some will have some input on mounting the recovery points on the winch mount but I'm looking forward to all input.

This afternoon I headed outside to take some measurements and did some test fittings with shackles. These are zip tied in place to get an idea how they will fit. The offset mount will allow them to sit further from the bumper than in these pics for better function.

 

[4RunninMD]

Really diggin that stock bumper with winch!! How was that achieved??

 

[llennium]

Really diggin that stock bumper with winch!! How was that achieved??

Thanks [MENTION=135006]4RunninMD[/MENTION]. The winch is installed with a Budbuilt hidden winch mount. Here's a link to a write up.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/152556-bud-built-hidden-winch.html

 

[Powder_Hound]

[MENTION=23427]llennium[/MENTION] Great looking rig, great looking mods, and great pics of your back country playground!

I'm hoping you would be willing to take the time to answer a few questions.

1) why did you choose to run wheel spacers? They make the stance look sweet, but is there a functional purpose?
2) What winch goes with the Bud Built hidden winch mount or is is it a compete kit? Looks friggin killer!!!
3) What needs to be done to add those USB charging outlets? Looks amazing and practical (I haven't searched on this as I hadn't seen them 'till I saw your mod. Rough cost???

Thanks for taking the time to share your build!!!