4th Gen Body Armor options? *See Attached*

[TrailHunterBen]

So! I am a new T4R owner and am coming from owning a lot of Jeep's.
(Still have my Tj that I built from the ground up with a Cummins 4BT)

Anyways! I am really curious as to why I can't find any armor or protective body panels for the 4th gens. Does anyone have any resources that I am missing?

I have googled and searched a few forum's looking for DIY options and pre made options but if anyone knows of anything I would be glad to find out!

Check out the attached photos for references. :keyboard:

 

[TrailHunterBen]

Here is my T4R. I just started tearing it down and prepping for new paint and body work. (I just installed a new lift and tires)

 

[S p a r k y]

Right hand side of page there several T4R sponsors with lots of options

C4 Fabrication | Off Road Toyota Bumpers | Metal Fabrication
Bumpers - Rock Sliders - Tire Carriers - cbioffroad - cbi off road
RCI Metalworks 4x4 Off-Road Body Armor- Skid Plates, Rock Sliders...
Pelfreybilt - High Quality Off-Road & Overland Components
Relentless Fabrication store ? Relentless Off-Road Fabrication
4 RUNNER - Demello Offroad

That's just a few out there, mostly bumpers, sliders etc. not really going to find any body panels.

 

[ExCabSwap]

Check out www.nwtrailinnovations.com

Great price for the diy people..

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

 

[Inv4drZm]

I hope you are not asking about bumpers and skid plates?

There aren't any of the full metal fender replacements for ours like I've seen on Jeeps like the first picture you linked. It just wouldn't match the 4Runner's style and trust me when I say you won't need it. If you expect body damage on a trail you should have bought a 1st gen 4Runner, or a Jeep. My truck, and many other 4th gen 4Runners have made it through some gnarly obstacles without a dent as long as you know how to drive. Yes, they can do all the stuff I've seen the Jeep guys do without those full metal fenders.

As for the extended bolt on bushwhacker style fender flares, the manufacturers skipped the 4th gen so we are out of luck in that department, though I can't say I miss them.

 

[gm350reratliff]

I'm really happy with my Stubbs Welding sliders. Home

 

[CruzadoBlanco]

I hope you are not asking about bumpers and skid plates?

There aren't any of the full metal fender replacements for ours like I've seen on Jeeps like the first picture you linked. It just wouldn't match the 4Runner's style and trust me when I say you won't need it. If you expect body damage on a trail you should have bought a 1st gen 4Runner, or a Jeep. My truck, and many other 4th gen 4Runners have made it through some gnarly obstacles without a dent as long as you know how to drive. Yes, they can do all the stuff I've seen the Jeep guys do without those full metal fenders.

As for the extended bolt on bushwhacker style fender flares, the manufacturers skipped the 4th gen so we are out of luck in that department, though I can't say I miss them.

bruh youre just not wheeling it hard enough. but then again i now own a 1st gen cause those trees just jump out and get ya.

 

[duffdog]

Nobody wheels a 4th gen harder than me and I have only a small dent in a door where I bashed a 2' stump out of the ground with the front bumper and then drove over it as the branches broke off and it rolled under the truck. I'm curious what you think you will be doing that needs armored side panels? I have sliders, full skidplates for the engine and trans and a modified skid plate from an FJ for the transfer case as well as front and rear armored bumpers. I can't imagine what you need in excess of that -- I mean, I also have a full EXO 1st gen SAS 4runner if I feel like launching myself off a 10' cliff into a rock or 2, but that's not normally what people do with 4th gens because they are wider and heavier.

So what exactly are you doing with this truck?

 

[CruzadoBlanco]

honestly a good set of bump out sliders and skids with maybe a front bumper is all you really need. i wheel the ever living piss out of mine and my skids and sliders show it. i do have some rear quarter damage but thats because i didnt get bump out sliders (which i regret). and honestly the plastic cladding down the sides is pretty robust and has come in clutch for me a few times, as in held my truck up against a ledge/wall when i sorta kinda laid it over. all it did was gouge the shit out of the plastic and thats it, no door dent or any thing. if it was say ny dads 5th gen it would have wreaked the door.

now if you really feel the need for rear armour the 4x4 labs bumper is the titties and can be configured to include more rear quarter armour.

This is my damage after i laid it up against the wall when wheeling it in east Texas

This is after i leaned it over into a tree that some bumpout sliders would have saved me from

another point to raise is adding a ton of weight to our 4th gens and then wheeling the piss out of them is not the best of ideas. we're still on the original 8"v6 rear end which is already stressed enough with some of the hard wheeling some of us do, ive seen plenty of 4th gens and early FJ cruisers strip ring and pinions and simply blows diffs up. this was at least partially remedied by toyota going to the revised 8" differential referred to as the 8.2, its about 15-20% stronger in the deflection aspect as torque is loaded to it compared to the 8'v6. so there is that to think about as well.

The best bet you have is if you really want to wheel the piss out of you 4th gen is to get a good set of bump out sliders, a good set of skids(front, trans, tcase, fuel tank, and rear lower control arm mounts), maybe a front bumper. then invest in suspension and differentials. i have Metaltech long travel rear and a homebrewed front that maximizes the travel from the stock geometry as well as a OEM elocker retrofit in the rear. travel and lockers help prevent you from throwing you truck in to everything and over working it and risk breaking things.


this is mine on a 20degreee RTI ramp to show you what a good set up can get you

Thats 38" of total articulation on 35x12.50s and a rear locker. keeping all 4 on the ground helps keep you out of risky situations that could lead to serious damage with much less weight than throwing plate steel at the body and YOLOing it.

 

[Angry_shoe]

Check out Northwest Trail Innovations

Great price for the diy people.. ��

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

Does NWTO make or sell fender kits? I did not see anything on the website.

 

[ExCabSwap]

Does NWTO make or sell fender kits? I did not see anything on the website.

NWTI sells rock slider kits. The pic of the Jeep shows the panels going over the rocker panels too.

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

 

[alhang]

80 Series Land Cruiser ARB Steps and Side Rails - Expedition Portal

Between bumpers, sliders and maybe some custom fender guards like the ones in this link. I can't imagine you'd need anything else.

 

[fayewong]

Here is my T4R. I just started tearing it down and prepping for new paint and body work. (I just installed a new lift and tires)


View attachment 240288

Maybe you should get a hummer then, its bulletproof and you don't need all those fancy aesthetics. :lmao: . MPG isn't great though.

 

[duffdog]

honestly a good set of bump out sliders and skids with maybe a front bumper is all you really need. i wheel the ever living piss out of mine and my skids and sliders show it. i do have some rear quarter damage but thats because i didnt get bump out sliders (which i regret). and honestly the plastic cladding down the sides is pretty robust and has come in clutch for me a few times, as in held my truck up against a ledge/wall when i sorta kinda laid it over. all it did was gouge the shit out of the plastic and thats it, no door dent or any thing. if it was say ny dads 5th gen it would have wreaked the door.

now if you really feel the need for rear armour the 4x4 labs bumper is the titties and can be configured to include more rear quarter armour.

This is my damage after i laid it up against the wall when wheeling it in east Texas

This is after i leaned it over into a tree that some bumpout sliders would have saved me from

another point to raise is adding a ton of weight to our 4th gens and then wheeling the piss out of them is not the best of ideas. we're still on the original 8"v6 rear end which is already stressed enough with some of the hard wheeling some of us do, ive seen plenty of 4th gens and early FJ cruisers strip ring and pinions and simply blows diffs up. this was at least partially remedied by toyota going to the revised 8" differential referred to as the 8.2, its about 15-20% stronger in the deflection aspect as torque is loaded to it compared to the 8'v6. so there is that to think about as well.

The best bet you have is if you really want to wheel the piss out of you 4th gen is to get a good set of bump out sliders, a good set of skids(front, trans, tcase, fuel tank, and rear lower control arm mounts), maybe a front bumper. then invest in suspension and differentials. i have Metaltech long travel rear and a homebrewed front that maximizes the travel from the stock geometry as well as a OEM elocker retrofit in the rear. travel and lockers help prevent you from throwing you truck in to everything and over working it and risk breaking things.


this is mine on a 20degreee RTI ramp to show you what a good set up can get you

Thats 38" of total articulation on 35x12.50s and a rear locker. keeping all 4 on the ground helps keep you out of risky situations that could lead to serious damage with much less weight than throwing plate steel at the body and YOLOing it.

I thought I didn't need a rear plate bumper until I ripped the entire factory plastic bumper off when dropping over a rock. By the way, your sliders don't look like they offer much protection since they don't stick out very far. It seems that if your sliders stuck out about 8" further, you might have had less issues with the body touching the ground when you lay it over.

 

[CruzadoBlanco]

I thought I didn't need a rear plate bumper until I ripped the entire factory plastic bumper off when dropping over a rock. By the way, your sliders don't look like they offer much protection since they don't stick out very far. It seems that if your sliders stuck out about 8" further, you might have had less issues with the body touching the ground when you lay it over.

yeah i currently have the shrockworks sliders, and while very well built and able to take the full weight of the truck on falls, they do not stick out far enough. i really wish i would have gone with either stubbs welding or some other bumpout slider. would have saved a world of trouble from the get go and saved me money. i too have ripped the rear bumper cover off but it just pops back in place with no ill effects ive seen so i dont see the point of the full plate rear. i do however wish i had a tire carrier, so that one of the next things ill build for this. if the CBI hybrid hadnt of been a gross half ass attempt maybe i would of bought that idk.

 

[TrueBlue]

honestly a good set of bump out sliders and skids with maybe a front bumper is all you really need. i wheel the ever living piss out of mine and my skids and sliders show it. i do have some rear quarter damage but thats because i didnt get bump out sliders (which i regret). and honestly the plastic cladding down the sides is pretty robust and has come in clutch for me a few times, as in held my truck up against a ledge/wall when i sorta kinda laid it over. all it did was gouge the shit out of the plastic and thats it, no door dent or any thing. if it was say ny dads 5th gen it would have wreaked the door.



now if you really feel the need for rear armour the 4x4 labs bumper is the titties and can be configured to include more rear quarter armour.



This is my damage after i laid it up against the wall when wheeling it in east Texas

This is after i leaned it over into a tree that some bumpout sliders would have saved me from

another point to raise is adding a ton of weight to our 4th gens and then wheeling the piss out of them is not the best of ideas. we're still on the original 8"v6 rear end which is already stressed enough with some of the hard wheeling some of us do, ive seen plenty of 4th gens and early FJ cruisers strip ring and pinions and simply blows diffs up. this was at least partially remedied by toyota going to the revised 8" differential referred to as the 8.2, its about 15-20% stronger in the deflection aspect as torque is loaded to it compared to the 8'v6. so there is that to think about as well.



The best bet you have is if you really want to wheel the piss out of you 4th gen is to get a good set of bump out sliders, a good set of skids(front, trans, tcase, fuel tank, and rear lower control arm mounts), maybe a front bumper. then invest in suspension and differentials. i have Metaltech long travel rear and a homebrewed front that maximizes the travel from the stock geometry as well as a OEM elocker retrofit in the rear. travel and lockers help prevent you from throwing you truck in to everything and over working it and risk breaking things.





this is mine on a 20degreee RTI ramp to show you what a good set up can get you

Thats 38" of total articulation on 35x12.50s and a rear locker. keeping all 4 on the ground helps keep you out of risky situations that could lead to serious damage with much less weight than throwing plate steel at the body and YOLOing it.

Off topic but what's your suspension setup in the front? Body lift as well?


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[CruzadoBlanco]

Off topic but what's your suspension setup in the front? Body lift as well?


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in the front i run Toytec BOSS coilovers set at 1.5" with a 1 inch thick spacer on top to give me the maximum down travel possible out of the front. i also have the ebay uniball UCAs. i do run a 1" body lift from 4crawler.

 

[4thgenblake]

I like how everyone failed to read what this guy was asking and threw in links completely irrelevant to this topic.

And it doesn't matter what he will be doing, most people with armour don't hit a single bump and have it strictly for looks, so? To each their own? Personally I've stopped offroading and build my rig to my standards because who's going to tell me otherwise.

Now, to answer the OP's question I've looked and haven't found any body armor that you're looking for. Personally I think it looks real nice on jeeps and think it should be offered for 4runners. If it's out there I'd buy it without a doubt. I was actually thinking about just having a rough Bedliner applied to the fenders and lower door panels to mimick that look, and then just add hardware to give it that bolt on look. Anything is possible, and if done right it can look real good. Although the peace of mind will rest easier if it were steel plates.

Who knows maybe someone will custom make something. One day I'll make a rendering of what we're thinking of and see where it goes from there. Good topic.

 

[Inv4drZm]

I like how everyone failed to read what this guy was asking and threw in links completely irrelevant to this topic.

And it doesn't matter what he will be doing, most people with armour don't hit a single bump and have it strictly for looks, so? To each their own? Personally I've stopped offroading and build my rig to my standards because who's going to tell me otherwise.

Now, to answer the OP's question I've looked and haven't found any body armor that you're looking for. Personally I think it looks real nice on jeeps and think it should be offered for 4runners. If it's out there I'd buy it without a doubt. I was actually thinking about just having a rough Bedliner applied to the fenders and lower door panels to mimick that look, and then just add hardware to give it that bolt on look. Anything is possible, and if done right it can look real good. Although the peace of mind will rest easier if it were steel plates.

Who knows maybe someone will custom make something. One day I'll make a rendering of what we're thinking of and see where it goes from there. Good topic.

I like how you misunderstood most of the posts.

There was only 'constructive criticism', it was all along the lines of, 'why do you think you need this? I've never needed it when I wheel.' But of course we all spend money on what looks cool from time to time. We're just saying you don't need to spend the money on it. It doesn't help us generate good ideas when the OP doesn't reply back.

I didn't want to post this hideous armor attempt, but you leave me no other choice...
ound:

Tube Fenders - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum

My opinion, don't build a 4th Gen to look like a Jeep. The attempt above would hardly be usable on a trail.

 

[TrailHunterBen]

HA! Thanks for the comments y'all. No I am not talking about sliders, bumpers or skidplates. I was looking for "Body Armor" Like the first pic of the Jeep has. I built a crawler that I wheel and I just wanted to make this 4Runner look a little more rugged.

I have the NWTI front bumper and kickout sliders. I'm just waiting for a good rear bumper that I like and was thinking about fender alternatives.

I just finished with paint and body work on mine though. Time to add the bumpers and sliders!