Bandit Runner Build 2.0

[Duhockey]

Any new mods since last August? Amazing build, I remember your 3rd Gen well. I was hunting for ideas and your thread supplied plenty! Subscribed for future awesomeness.

 

[Lexington]

Man that’s a deep shiny red. Any shinier it’s gonna Burst into flame!. Nice job! You have great skills and it was fun to watch how it came along!

 

[cmobe2]

Great build!

 

[Bandit Runner]

Any new mods since last August? Amazing build, I remember your 3rd Gen well. I was hunting for ideas and your thread supplied plenty! Subscribed for future awesomeness.

Thanks. Only thing I've been working on is new ditch light brackets that mount to the A-pillar. I don't really like the hood mounted ones.

 

[honda250xtitan]

Thanks. Only thing I've been working on is new ditch light brackets that mount to the A-pillar. I don't really like the hood mounted ones.

ah, someone else who appreciates the greatness of self tapping screws:cheers:

 

[Heavy_GD]

Thanks. Only thing I've been working on is new ditch light brackets that mount to the A-pillar. I don't really like the hood mounted ones.

I see the ditch lights posted for sale, we are due for an update!

 

[Bandit Runner]

I see the ditch lights posted for sale, we are due for an update!

I wasn't planning on posting them because they are not very exciting, but I will now. Thanks for your interest.

 

[Bandit Runner]

I wasn’t too thrilled about how the typical ditch light mounts are attached to the hood hinge. Also not too wild about their location, which can cause light glare on the hood, as they sit too far inward. I also didn’t like how the lights vibrate (bounce up/down) when on bumpy or washboard roads.

I really wanted to mount the lights up a little higher and on the A-pillar, which also puts them outward further. (Similar to the spot lights on police cars). The mount design I came up with can be 3D printed.

I did not want to drill holes into the A-pillar, so I decided to use double-sided 3M trim tape to mount them. The trick here was to get the curvature on the back side of the mounts to match the A-pillar exactly, so the tape would have maximum contact area and holding power. This took several trials to get just right.

I did have to modify the brackets on my VisionX lights in order to make them work with my mounting system.

I really like the look of this light position better than the hood mount. I have had these on for a few months and no issues with the tape holding them in place. Best of all, the lights do not vibrate at all on washboard roads. I’m really happy with the final product.

 

[Heavy_GD]

I’m really happy with the final product.

3M tape is great stuff.

I've always looked at the back of the mirror and thought its a great place for ditch lights.

Your pillar solution looks great.

 

[Bandit Runner]

So I started a new project this past weekend:

No turning back now:

Rear bumper design is still in process, but at least I now have an idea of where the new steel bumper will meet up with the stock plastic bumper.

 

[Bandit Runner]

Update on the rear bumper build. The design is basically complete. I tried to keep it fairly simple. A few CAD images:

Started cutting out a few pieces:

Bolted them to the truck’s frame:

And welded the first few parts together:

 

[Bandit Runner]

Well the rear bumper build took a lot longer than I anticipated. Sorry for the delay. I ended up having foot surgery in March, so that unfortunately set me back several months.

Here are a few pics of the foamboard prototype I made before I started cutting steel:

I didn’t get many pics of the fabrication process, but here is one I found:

I made this aluminum part to cover up the 4 bolts in the rear, and to also house a small LED light:

And here are pics of the final test fit before delivering the bumper to the powdercoater:

Bumper is currently at the powdercoater. Should be done in about a week. I’ll get some pics of the final product installed on the 4Runner soon hopefully.

 

[Bandit Runner]

Rear bumper is finally finished! A few pics after I had it powdercoated satin black.

Inside:

Bottom:

And the side brackets that connect the side wings to the frame and hold the new mud flaps:

Installed:

And a few others just for fun:

 

[Bandit Runner]

I wanted to add some wider fender flares because my tires stick out quite a bit, due to the low backspacing on my SCS wheels. I like the look of the tires sticking out, but need some coverage for them. My front doors are getting quite a few stone chips in the paint.

After looking at all the options out there, I decided on the NYTOP fiberglass flares. They provide an additional 1.5” of coverage per side, which is more than any others out there.
Also, I knew I would need to modify the flares to fit with my custom front and rear bumpers, and these seemed the easiest to modify. I had to cut and rebuild/reshape the ends quite a bit to fit, but I think they turned out pretty good overall. After a lot of epoxy, filing and sanding, I painted them satin black to match my bumpers and sliders.

I didn’t take any pics of the process, but here they are installed.

As you can see, the flares line up almost perfectly with the outside of the tires.

Overall, I’m very pleased with how they turned out, and really like the way they look. I think it gives the truck a more aggressive look.

 

[JBurt]

Man I don't know how this thread doesn't get more attention. I don't know if the 5th gen section is dying like the 3rd gen section is, but great work as always. I'm constantly impressed by your design and fab skills. That is the best looking 5th gen rear bumper I've ever seen.

Your rig is turning out just as cool as your old one. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing.