1996 snow runner

W

warrpath4x4

New member
my son looked at the 4runner points and says snow, so now we have the "snow runner"

i picked this up a couple weeks ago , 1996 4runner, 3.4L, auto, SR5, E-locker, 2-3" lift, brand new 285/75R16 tires, and brand new pearl white paint job.

cabelas parking lot an hour later and was already buying stuff for it lol, picked up some seatcovers and steering wheel cover out of the bargain cave.



that weekend i spent about $700 ordering stuff for it

synthetic winch rope
hawse fairlead (which i had to return and order a new one)
four 15W LED lights
aisin timing belt kit with water pump and timing belt tensioner (off rock auto for over $100 cheaper than the local parts stores)
timing belt tensioner tool
trans cooler with built in fan
power inverter

and i picked up a copuple new tools for building stuff
tubing notcher
dimple die
 
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Then

i have bedlined the rockers on several rigs of mine and used undercoating, i figured i would try plasti-dip this time. suppose to hold up good and when your tired of it you can just peel it off.

pulled it into the wash bay at work and got it all cleaned up


taped it all off




i learned one thing about it, when you get ready to pull the tape off, run a razor blade over it or it tries to pull off with it


simple addition but one of my most used


its magnetic
 
last weekend we went for a little drive up on white mountain (cell phone pics are not the best)







wasnt much for snow but there was some mud, this stuff was horrible to clean off. i also learned that while most people say you can pressure wash plasti-dip and it wont come off, dont try it with a 220 degree pressure washer. it all came off

 
my new fairlead came in yesterday, the roller fairlead weighs 11 pounds, the hawse fairlead weighs 1.5 pounds.

so total weight reduction on the winch after the synthetic rope and hawse fairlead. 32.25 pounds
 
The 4runner looks great, but it made me cringe seeing you paint over that new paint job till I realized it was Plasti-dip. Are you planning on getting a bumper for the winch or just incorporate it into the stock bumper?
 
when i moved from Oregon i didnt (and still dont) have a garage or shop here, so most of my tools are packed in the corner of my dads shop back home. So my tubing bender, plasma, welder, and all that are there, I am going to build a winch mount for the time being based off the winch mount idea that trail gear sells for the older trucks. so for a while it might just be the center section of a bumper.
 
another plan i have been working out the details for is adding an 90's F150 rear fuel tank to the 4runner. the runner has a 19+/- gallon tank, highway i got 20mpg, around town i get 13-14mpg, not a good range when off-road. once i change the gears my mpg will get a little better but that extra range will be nice on trips and traveling anywhere in wyoming where everythings 100 miles away.

So the F150 tank is a 18 gallon tank, you might be thinking wait thats one gallon less. well the F150 tank will fit in between the frame rails where the spare tire currently fits. cut out the spare tire bracket, fab up strap mounting for the tank, and it fits between the rails and doesnt stick below the frame any or only about an inch (different mounts ive seen people use has the distance different). some guys have used the F150 fuel pump but the guage reads backwards, im just looking at putting a transfer pump in and pump from the ford tank to the toyota tank. i found a transfer pump for under $50 that has a 140GPH flow, my math has it at about 8-9 minutes to completely empty the ford tank.

effectively doubling my range.
 
so i stayed late lastnight at work to build my roof rack only to find out our welder isnt working right. so i tinkered with a few smaller things and went home.


today i came back in and worked on some other projects for the runner. since i didnt have a roof rack to mount my lights too, i mounted 2 of the 4 on the front bumper since i wont be building my bumper till my dad brings my welder and plasma next month after the family reunion.


(i zip tied the wires up after the pic)


they are 15W five LED 60 degree flood pattern


and i built a storage drawer version 1.0, nothing fancy no slides or anything, just friction. i didnt want to spend alot on it just to decide i didnt like having a drawer. later down the road ill see what happens. the black box was from my cherokee and has an air compressor with tank in itand the air chuck coming out the front. it is just a cheap compressor i picked up on clearance when i worked at o'reilly. i also mounted a new cobra power inverter onto the side of the box. the mat is just an old rubber floor mat we were going to get rid of at work, i cut it so one part stays under the air compressor box and we can pull the other half out and put it on the ground for my kid to stand on if we need to clean him off or anything like that.



dont pay attention to the faded paint on the box lol i painted it 2 or 3 years ago


also while i was under the 4runner i noticed the rear coils are pretty new since the old man emu sticker was still new, rears are 906 coils springs.
 
Mothers day we loaded up the 4runner and headed to Flaming Gorge.







Happy monkey


the cherokee trail runs through the area we were in, you can still see the wagon ruts in areas
 
after some issues between the dealer, the state of utah, and the state of wyoming, i now have plates on the 4runner. i havnt wanted to do much work on it since there was the chance i was gonna have to give it back to the dealer. so this really isnt much of an update since all ive done sine the last time was replace the door jamb switch fixing my dome light.

my dad is coming out this week and bringing my plasma and welder with him so in a couple weeks after the wedding and all that, i will be getting to work on this thing.
 
changed my winch/winch bumper plans. i was going to run my WARN 8274 with synthetic rope, but with trying to find a bumper design i liked and could fit the massive 8274 without blocking the whole radiator. a member on another forum suggested this winch TUFF STUFF 12,500 lbs Premium Winch Kit | TruckandWinch.com he has been running one for a while along with a couple of his friends, and at that price i figured i couldnt beat it, im still gonna put my synthetic rope and hawse fairlead on it though.
 
back to work after getting married and vacation :coffee: now its time to start some work on the runner.

picked up a blue sea fuse box and got it installed, 125A breaker below it and 2ga wires



 
thanks

i had an hour after work lastnight so i pulled my bumper off to start mock up for my winch mount. found the passenger frame horn has been bent before and that has my engine skid askew.

straight


not straight


pimpin the zip tied lights
 
for now im just making my winch mount, later i will finish the sides and actual bumper

easy way to transfer the bolt pattern from the winch to the metal



supports



first time using my dimple die (note to self, make sure dimple die is facing the right way lol)







more dimples





i only dimples 6 holes, the pieces i cut out of the 6 holes weighed .25 of a pound. not much there but you can imagine if there were more dimples how much weight would be cut.
 
tonight i charged the A/C, changed the oil, and cut the rotting muffler off. i'm glad i didn't already order a muffler, everything i found online said 2 1/4" this thing has 2 1/2" on it.
 
Bumper/Winch plate is looking good. I like your idea of adding holes in the bumper pieces to help reduce weight. I did the same thing with mine when I built it. It really adds up.

Mine:
fb_real_parts_front_top.jpg
 
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