415Yota’s Build

[sleepydad]

Started test fitting the f150 tank

I'm just starting my fuel tank saga, once I get those pesky bumper wings sorted.

I picked up a new spectrum tank and an F150 tank so I was planning on cutting up the new spectrum Toyota tank and combining the 2 tanks to form the 1 tank to rule them all.

I was also thinking about moving over the internal baffles, I guess depends on how much patients I have left.

excellent work, thank you for posting.

 

[T4topher]

Mmmmmm.....tacobox....
All that fabricating stuff makes me so happy to have an m/t, but you do make it look so nice.
Looks great so far, looking forwards to more!

Honestly if I were to do it over I would probably do a manual transmission swap instead of gas tank/crossmember cutting.. Can’t turn back now though haha.. Thank you.

I'm just starting my fuel tank saga, once I get those pesky bumper wings sorted.

I picked up a new spectrum tank and an F150 tank so I was planning on cutting up the new spectrum Toyota tank and combining the 2 tanks to form the 1 tank to rule them all.

I was also thinking about moving over the internal baffles, I guess depends on how much patients I have left.

excellent work, thank you for posting.

Ive been procrastinating hard on my bumper lol.. I would recommend moving the bucket baffle over (other baffle doesn’t seem like it does a whole lot?), where the Ford pump sits is different than where the Toyota pump will sit and it might get starved out on steep hills without it. The baffle was pretty simple to move anyways, drill out spot welds (not the welds inside the bucket only the ones outside) and then put like 3-4 spot welds on each side in new tank. Doing the Toyota stuff without a BL is going to be a bit of a challenge. Thanks man.

Well got the new front adapter plate from Marlin today.. Kinda lame they sent me a slightly used one.. Meh it’ll work. Going to try gas to remove the residual rtv.

Pretty sure this is the final resting point of the tubes. Also got a 4-5’ wire pigtail all soldered up and ready to go (not pictured). Requires roughly 12-15’ of 1/4” fuel hose, 7-8’ of 5/16, 3-4’ of 1/2”, and I’m re-using the oem filler hose.

Finally got one of these things once I’m almost done with all the work under my truck lol. Hopefully will make my shirts a bit less dirty from crawling around. Was only 35$ on Amazon.

 

[habanero]

Honestly if I were to do it over I would probably do a manual transmission swap instead of gas tank/crossmember cutting.. Can’t turn back now though haha.. Thank you.

That would just be a different ball of wax to deal with, and now maybe it'll be harder to squish the tank in that position. Call it a win...
even if it's not a manual

.....to remove the residual rtv.

For FIPG isopropyl alcohol has worked really well for me, but the gas will likely do the trick too. Haven't tried that one yet.

Finally got one of these things once I’m almost done with all the work under my truck lol. Hopefully will make my shirts a bit less dirty from crawling around.

It's a handy gadget, though I get tired of involuntarily donating hairs to the wheels. Cleaner shirts, less scootching about, and driveway races.

 

[T4topher]

That would just be a different ball of wax to deal with, and now maybe it'll be harder to squish the tank in that position. Call it a win...
even if it's not a manual


For FIPG isopropyl alcohol has worked really well for me, but the gas will likely do the trick too. Haven't tried that one yet.


It's a handy gadget, though I get tired of involuntarily donating hairs to the wheels. Cleaner shirts, less scootching about, and driveway races.

I have heard manual swaps are a decent amount of work with everything that needs to be swapped over. That is true it’s saving me from buying a lil skips skid plate lol.. I’ll give iso a try before I do gas again, thx for the recommendation. The gas was only working so so.. I have pretty short hair so maybe not an issue for me. Driveway races sound like a blast, good idea! We have some pretty steep hills in San Francisco might have to bomb down one haha..

 

[NYState4Runner]

I have heard manual swaps are a decent amount of work with everything that needs to be swapped over. That is true it’s saving me from buying a lil skips skid plate lol.. I’ll give iso a try before I do gas again, thx for the recommendation. The gas was only working so so.. I have pretty short hair so maybe not an issue for me. Driveway races sound like a blast, good idea! We have some pretty steep hills in San Francisco might have to bomb down one haha..

Hey awesome Build!! I have a question seeing as you have torn down totally; what was the spline count on the torque converter? I am replacing mine but cannot find out online whether to buy 20 or 26 spline. I have 2000 limited 4x4 with e locker rear. I would really appreciate the help on this...

 

[T4topher]

Hey awesome Build!! I have a question seeing as you have torn down totally; what was the spline count on the torque converter? I am replacing mine but cannot find out online whether to buy 20 or 26 spline. I have 2000 limited 4x4 with e locker rear. I would really appreciate the help on this...

Thank you, unfortunately if you would’ve asked this question a few weeks ago I would’ve been able to tell you but the transmission is all back together now.. You might be able to try to watch the timmy the toolman transmission replacement video and see if you can pause it and count the splines. Or try to do some more googling, sorry man.

 

[T4topher]

Feeling pretty refreshed after a week in Hawaii lol.. Just finished installing the f150 tank, all the hoses are hooked up and strapped to the frame with zip ties. Used the oem hose clamps. Extremely tight fit. Going to try and get the bumper done this weekend maybe. Exhaust looks like it’s gunna be a PITA but potentially do able..

 

[T4topher]

Started working on the bumper, fit up on the driver side was pretty difficult. I think the delivery person dropped it and it was a little off but I got it to work.. Had to cut a bit further into the body than was shown for the sides to fit up..

Passenger side fit up good

Driver side not as good

Started grinding all the welds down, lot more work to do..

Got a couple new tools
Super powerful leaf blower

Selectable magnet ground clamp for the welder

 

[T4topher]

Little update

Got new oem LBJs + bolts, OTRs, parking light plastic nuts/screws.

Ordered this thing back in April finally showed up

Since I’ve been cutting so many crossmembers out I figured it would be wise to install one.. TMR custom crossmember kit.

Speaking of cutting crossmembers I finally got this thing together..!!

Original shifter ended up working better than the straight one I had for the front case. Still had to push it forward about an inch or so by cutting/bending/welding. Probably going to keep the 4wd button function on the front case so I don’t have to move the wires..

Welp ended up drilling the shifter hole a bit off of where it really needed to be.. Welded it back together, put some grey rtv, and painted it.. Installed rivnuts for the rubber boot I’ll be using.

Ended up cutting the cup holders a bit more than I was hoping for but there are a few options I have. Could try a 96-98 center console might be a cleaner hole OR I could try to make a custom center console. For now I have 3 factory leather boots and I’m going to either do zip tie/paracord stitches or use black rivets to attach it.

Now I have to redo the exhaust for the bumper. Ended up just getting a new 2.5” muffler since I had gotten a 2.25” the first time, figured it would be easier to just start fresh. (didn’t realize I was getting the shorter version hope it’s not too loud). Hopefully these will get me where I need to go, we’ll see..

New 20v dewalt 7.25” miter saw, pretty stoaked on this. Will help a ton in building the aluminum frame of my storage/fridge/sleep platform.

 

[T4topher]

Been putting in so much work trying to get this thing ready to drive down to Timmy the Toolmans BBQ. Almost there! Probably won’t finish the bumper in time oh well..

Made and welded up the dual case mount

Big shout out to Tom woods these things got to my door super fast and are pretty darn beefy too.

Had to modify the front shifter a bit more as it wasn’t fitting, used a small piece of 1/4” plate to extend it.

Got the interior 100% buttoned up finally (even though it’s not 100% in the picture lol)..

Now the only things left to do tonight is:
-finish wiring
-get the muffler installed
-install rear driveshaft
-fill with fuel
-wash it

 

[JZiggy]

So, you'll have room for both beers when you're in 2HI, only one in 4HI, and time to stop drinking when you shift to 4LO, right?

I see Timmy's shindig is putting a deadline on some of your projects Build looks amazing!

 

[T4topher]

So, you'll have room for both beers when you're in 2HI, only one in 4HI, and time to stop drinking when you shift to 4LO, right?

I see Timmy's shindig is putting a deadline on some of your projects Build looks amazing!

The front cup holder is completely gone . Shifting into 4hi is going to be one of those “hold my beer” moments haha… Thinking about grabbing one of those 3d printed cup holder setups eventually. Thank you, not gunna lie your build is awesome too!

 

[TonyB66]

The front cup holder is completely gone . Shifting into 4hi is going to be one of those “hold my beer” moments haha… Thinking about grabbing one of those 3d printed cup holder setups eventually. Thank you, not gunna lie your build is awesome too!

Still like the idea of something like this in our 3rd gens...

Aftermarket Center Console Options?

 

[T4topher]

Still like the idea of something like this in our 3rd gens...

Aftermarket Center Console Options?

Thought about a custom center console or something like that. Not sure if you watch overland bound on YouTube but he is in the middle of making a custom center console although it’s in an fzj80.. I’m going to model my rear storage platform off of his too, few changes though. It’s fine how it is now so I’ll probably do a bunch of planning/research before I figure out exactly what I want to do. Thank you for the link/ideas though!

 

[T4topher]

Welp good news got the runner all back together and running!! Stayed up till 1am Friday night getting the driveshaft and all the wiring/interior 100% done. Just got the exhaust tacked up temporarily Saturday morning before heading to the Timmy the Toolman BBQ. Tried seeing what the exhaust routing to the bumper looked like and there is legit not enough room for exhaust to run through there unless you are like a super pro exhaust fabricator.. Probably just going to dump it before the axle somehow..

The only three small problems I need to fix are:
-gas cap got shifted around while doing f150 tank and doesn’t let the gas door open easily.
-small leak coming out of Marlin crawler shifter base.. (maybe I overfilled the tacobox?)
-need to get adjustable rear control arms/links to adjust axle pinion angle to match driveline better (slight vibration/pulsing noise above 50mph)

Driveshaft was sort of a PITA to figure out due to a mix of the delivery guy loosing some hardware and Tom woods including too much hardware that was not needed.. But I got it, phew..

Here she is right after first start up (not the greatest pic but it’s all I got lol), pulled out for a quick wash to get all the grinder dust off lol.

Had a bit of a scare after taking it to the gas station the fuel gauge worked good for a second then I glanced back and it said empty with the light on.. After I turned the truck off then back on again though it came right back (maybe it was calibrating itself?).. Gauge is more accurate than it was in the stock tank though which I’m happy about, said roughly 1/3 tank when it was down to about 7-8gallons (filled it with about 18-19 gallons initially)

 

[habanero]

Welp good news got the runner all back together and running!! Stayed up till 1am Friday night getting the driveshaft and all the wiring/interior 100% done. Just got the exhaust tacked up temporarily....

The only three small problems I need to fix are:
-gas cap got shifted around while doing f150 tank and doesn’t let the gas door open easily.
-small leak coming out of Marlin crawler shifter base.. (maybe I overfilled the tacobox?)
-need to get adjustable rear control arms/links to adjust axle pinion angle to match driveline better (slight vibration/pulsing noise above 50mph)

That's awesome! I'm amazed at how much work you did and how well it turned out. Nice news for your more accurate gas tank too.

Keep an eye on the transmission level as well as the taco box, mine was doing it at highway speeds and I thought the same, must have overfilled. When I checked the taco box oil level it was full, which seemed to verify my thinking. Turned out it was pulling fluid out of the transmission- had to have been through the coupler housing seal. Trying to get that figured out now with Marlin's help, mine might be a damaged seal or something. I'd be curious if yours is doing the same, I have a different transmission- stick. Takes something like what, .8 qt? I guess if yours was doing it you'd have weird-colored gear oil in your taco box.

 

[T4topher]

That's awesome! I'm amazed at how much work you did and how well it turned out. Nice news for your more accurate gas tank too.

Keep an eye on the transmission level as well as the taco box, mine was doing it at highway speeds and I thought the same, must have overfilled. When I checked the taco box oil level it was full, which seemed to verify my thinking. Turned out it was pulling fluid out of the transmission- had to have been through the coupler housing seal. Trying to get that figured out now with Marlin's help, mine might be a damaged seal or something. I'd be curious if yours is doing the same, I have a different transmission- stick. Takes something like what, .8 qt? I guess if yours was doing it you'd have weird-colored gear oil in your taco box.

Thank you! Good to know, yea my trans fluid is red so I’d know right away by looking at the fluid. The exterior of the cases are so clean the fluid looked clear/yellow not red but I’ll open the fill hole just to see if fluid comes out.. hmm .8 quarts for the tacobox?? It took a lot more than that to get to the fill plug, it’s definitely over filled if that’s the case I musta put almost 2qts in it.. lol..

 

[habanero]

Thank you! Good to know, yea my trans fluid is red so I’d know right away by lo.. hmm .8 quarts for the tacobox?? It took a lot more than that to get to the fill plug, it’s definitely over filled if that’s the case I musta put almost 2qts in it.. lol..

Got that from post 1 here:
The Capacity/Size/Weight/Length Thread

*but* I don't know if that includes what goes into the tail housing. I did about the same as you, maybe a quart and a half (forget the exact), and thought the same thing.

 

[T4topher]

Got that from post 1 here:
The Capacity/Size/Weight/Length Thread

*but* I don't know if that includes what goes into the tail housing. I did about the same as you, maybe a quart and a half (forget the exact), and thought the same thing.

Hmm.. Well even if it were overfilled I feel like it shouldn’t be spewing out of the Marlin shifter base.. I’m going to take some stuff apart and investigate a little, I’ll post up my findings. That thread has some good info for sure, wish I would’ve seen it earlier.

Couple more small updates:
-fixed the gas door, was super easy just manipulated the filler neck a little by hand.
-Dometic drawer fridge arrived yesterday.
-new grade 8 bolts/lock washers arrived for the rear driveshaft (super odd size 7/16-20 thread)
-Also forgot to mention I won a Yota1 Performance arb compressor/cruise control bracket at the Timmy the Toolman bbq on Saturday! Super stoaked, thank you guys and Yota1!
-ordered opt offroad rear control arms last night so I can adjust my pinion angle and for some additional beefyness.

 

[T4topher]

Exhaust v3.0, hopefully the last version lol.. Installed the shorter borla temporarily to get to the Timmy the Toolman BBQ and it was pretty darn loud. Ended up reusing the original 2.25” borla and installed the 2.5” pipe over the 2.25” muffler. Not going to even try routing the exhaust through the bumper…

Got my arb compressor and yota1 mount completely installed and wired up. Pretty stoaked to be done with this one, now I just need to fix my rear elocker and I’ll be dual locked/dual cased!! Lol.. Speaking of dual cases I tested out the 4wd/low/low low today and it worked flawlessly.

Dash lights work and everything.