Bandit Runner's Build Thread

you're happy with it???? just look a that doggo! super stoked!


are you going to take it somewhere to get it tuned or attempt to load maps that people have provided?


Yeah, the wiener pup really likes riding in the back of the truck.

I haven't decided if I'm going to try to tune it myself yet, or try to find a shop to do it. I'm still researching.
 
So I bought a Dometic CFX 75DZW fridge/freezer for camping trips. The only problem is I don’t have a full time power outlet in the truck, so I decided to add a pair of always hot 12 volt cigarette lighter sockets. I purchased two of the Blue Sea cigarette sockets, and a dual 2.1 amp USB charger. The place I chose to put them was the backside of the center console. I removed the ashtray since I’ve never used it in the 13 years of owning the truck anyway.

Ashtray removed:
0ig4lFu.jpg


I designed and 3D printed a small housing to hold the sockets. The housing snaps into place where the ashtray was. Prototype:
tnqF7GO.jpg


After a few minor tweaks to the design, I 3D printed another part, sanded it smooth, and painted it grey. I then assembled the 2 sockets into the housing.
on2fTYW.jpg


A view of the backside of the housing:
fBSBREI.jpg


I ran 10 gauge red and black wires directly from the battery, through the firewall, and under the center console, to the ashtray opening. This will be able to provide enough current over the long distance without losing any amps. No pics of this, but self-explanetory.

Then I connected the wiring to the sockets, and installed the housing into the ashtray opening for the final time.
OGNXxbr.jpg


Fridge plugged in on one side, and dual USB ports ready on the other side:
AP4IymW.jpg


Everything works great, and I love this fridge. Having ice cream while camping was a real treat! Its also really nice to be able to charge cell phones on the other socket without having to turn the key to the accessory position to use the stock sockets in the front dash.
 
Wow, nicely done!

What's the amp rating on those Blue Sea cigarette socket? The highest I found was 25A, which should be fine for the little 300 watt inverter I plan to use at times....

Again, kudos on this project. I really need to get a 3D printer!
 
In September, the wife and I were planning a camping trip because we were excited to try out the new fridge/freezer. The day before we were supposed to leave, I was running some errands. As I was driving, I kept hearing some weird clunking noises from the rear of the truck. Got home and peaked under the truck and immediately saw the problem.

Uh oh! Passenger side upper shock mount rusted through:
tqnyYz3.jpg


Crap! My heart sank. I removed the lower shock bolt and the shock dropped to the floor.
pvzgj9H.jpg


U7H0CzC.jpg


Unbolted the rusted out chunk:
UZAv0MQ.jpg


Left a giant hole in the truck:
S9s74cm.jpg


GEeuFRS.jpg


Well now I had to decide what to do, and in a hurry, as we planned on leaving for camp in about 12 hours. I obviously wouldn’t have time to get the correct replacement part and weld it into place. And I didn’t really want to travel 200 miles to our camp without a rear shock.

After spending some time laying under the truck, staring at the giant hole, and thinking about the situation, I knew I had to come up with a quick fix. I would have to weld in some sort of temporary mount for the shock.

I figured I could weld a piece of steel to the inner wall of the frame, the round bar cross member, and the opposite edge of the existing shock mount. All these areas were still very solid, and the 3-point connection would provide plenty of strength. I grabbed a piece of cardboard and started trimming it. Final pattern I came up with:
9Vq1QQc.jpg


I found a scrap piece of 1/4” thick steel and started cutting it out with my angle grinder. That should be plenty beefy.
Gh0O9Ta.jpg


Then I had to grind the paint and surface rust off the existing frame geometry, in order to get a better weld. I’m certainly not a great welder, but can usually stick stuff together without too much trouble. However, I was really struggling to get decent welds here, probably because upside-down welding is challenging. I’m sure being in a hurry didn’t help, but finally I got it welded into place.
x4vWcx2.jpg


GvCQMSW.jpg


Finally I was able to remount the shock without issue.

Now let me tell you this, Welding upside down while laying under the truck really sucks, and I have a few burns on my arms to prove it. However, my quick fix was a success, and I saved the camping trip with just a few hours to spare. The temporary fix held up well, In fact it is still in there, and working great. I might eventually get the correct part and replace it, but for now I’m leaving it, because I’m dreading getting under there and cutting it out and welding in a new piece. Also, I checked the drivers side shock mount and it seems to be pretty solid yet, so hopefully that one will last a little longer.
 
So I always thought seat heaters were kind of dumb. Who needs all that fancy stuff, right? Well after my wife bought her latest car, we realized it had seat heaters in it. Wow, they are awesome on cold mornings! I guess I’m getting old. Anyway, I’ve been wanting to add these to the 4Runner ever since. I’ve also wanted to get some Wet Okole seat covers for years, so I decided to finally do that as well. There was a group buy earlier this year, so I took advantage of it.

I researched seat heaters, and found tons of them on Ebay and Amazon. I knew I didn’t want to get some super cheap junky ones. After reading several reviews, I decided on the Rostra heaters, as these seemed to have good quality. Link:
Car, Truck and SUV Automotive Carbon Fiber Seat Heaters by Rostra

Next I needed to decide where to put the switches for the seat heaters. The only real good place I could find was on the center console, behind the shifter. So I cut two 3/4” holes for the switches.
Rx85FD6.jpg


Now, I couldn’t mount the switches directly onto the shift bezel surface, because it was not flat where I wanted to mount them. So I designed and 3D printed a piece to mount the switches into, that had a curved surface on the back side to mate with the curvature of the shift bezel.
Y6AmnxV.jpg


ip14AnS.jpg


Sanded smooth, painted, and installed the switches.
R29OaM7.jpg


I used 3M double sided trim tape to secure the switch mount to the shifter bezel. It turned out great.
GMPZ9ka.jpg


When I was buying 10 gauge wire for my fridge wiring project, I purchased extra for the seat heater wiring. I ran the wires directly from the battery, and to the center console area, to connect to the heater wire harnesses that came with the Rostra kit.

I really didn’t want to take the seats apart in order to install the heater pads. Way too much work. So my plan was to keep it simple and just stick the heater pads onto the outside of the seats, and just cover them with the Wet Okole seat covers. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics of the heating pads on the seats before covering them up with the seat covers, but they fit perfectly, and I didn’t have to cut or trim the heating pads at all. The most difficult part was routing all of the wires, and making sure they were all hidden under the center console for a clean look.

Then I installed the seat covers. I did all this without removing the seats from the truck. The only difficult thing about installing these was being able to connect all the straps underneath the seats (especially on the drivers side where I have a large 2000 watt inverter under the seat). These fit my sport edition seats perfectly. The quality of these seat covers is outstanding.

4sGK1Gb.jpg


zSYMDbP.jpg


Overall, I’m super happy with this mod. I was originally concerned that the heat wouldn’t be able to be felt through the thick neoprene foam seat covers, but I was wrong. You can definitely feel the heat, and they warm up very quickly. Can’t wait for those winter morning drives to work now. The seat covers make the worn out seats feel much better, and provide a lot of support and comfort. It even feels like I am sitting higher up in the seats now. It feels like a completely different truck.
 
You are on a roll with the 3D printing. Looks factory!

I'm older than you and I'm not sensing the need, but I like seeing a well-executed project though.

I had a heated driver's seat in my '75 FJ40 believe it or not. An inverter under the seat, and a cheapo heating pad under the seat cover, something like this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Sunbeam-73...1571192708&sprefix=heating+pad,aps,220&sr=8-7

I sold the top so having a heated seat really helped in the winter...

Might ask you someday what 3D printer you have, and the criteria used to select it, if you don't mind. Again, great work.
 
After spending some time laying under the truck, staring at the giant hole, and thinking about the situation, I knew I had to come up with a quick fix. I would have to weld in some sort of temporary mount for the shock.

I figured I could weld a piece of steel to the inner wall of the frame, the round bar cross member, and the opposite edge of the existing shock mount. All these areas were still very solid, and the 3-point connection would provide plenty of strength. I grabbed a piece of cardboard and started trimming it.

I found a scrap piece of 1/4” thick steel and started cutting it out with my angle grinder. That should be plenty beefy.

Finally I was able to remount the shock without issue.

Now let me tell you this, Welding upside down while laying under the truck really sucks, and I have a few burns on my arms to prove it. However, my quick fix was a success, and I saved the camping trip with just a few hours to spare. The temporary fix held up well, In fact it is still in there, and working great. I might eventually get the correct part and replace it, but for now I’m leaving it, because I’m dreading getting under there and cutting it out and welding in a new piece. Also, I checked the drivers side shock mount and it seems to be pretty solid yet, so hopefully that one will last a little longer.

Impressive that you were able to think up a solution and complete the fix under 12 hours and still make your trip. My wheels turn much slower when it comes to troubleshooting under pressure. Seat covers look great & having an outlet for a fridge has gotta be nice.
 
You are on a roll with the 3D printing. Looks factory!

I'm older than you and I'm not sensing the need, but I like seeing a well-executed project though.

I had a heated driver's seat in my '75 FJ40 believe it or not. An inverter under the seat, and a cheapo heating pad under the seat cover, something like this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Sunbeam-73...1571192708&sprefix=heating+pad,aps,220&sr=8-7

I sold the top so having a heated seat really helped in the winter...

Might ask you someday what 3D printer you have, and the criteria used to select it, if you don't mind. Again, great work.

Thanks man. I think the desire for seat heaters has something to do with your location. If you aren't seeing sub-zero winter mornings, your won't appreciate them as much. lol

I use the Ultimaker S5 3D printer.
 
Thanks man. I think the desire for seat heaters has something to do with your location. If you aren't seeing sub-zero winter mornings, your won't appreciate them as much. lol

I use the Ultimaker S5 3D printer.

Being CA I'm sure that has a lot to do with it, agreed.

Damn, the Ultimaker S5 costs about what most pay for a 3rd gen! Appreciate you sharing. I need to seriously read-up on what to look for when shopping for a 3D printer, the features available, considerations, etc...
 
Wow. Haven't posted on here in forever. Haven't done any modifications to the 4Runner recently. I've been running into some pretty serious rust issues on the rocker panels and frame. I'm getting too old to be crawling under there and fixing rust every weekend. Getting pretty discouraged!

Starting to seriously think about selling this beast and buying a 5th gen in the next couple of months. I guess all good things must come to an end.
 
Wow. Haven't posted on here in forever. Haven't done any modifications to the 4Runner recently. I've been running into some pretty serious rust issues on the rocker panels and frame. I'm getting too old to be crawling under there and fixing rust every weekend. Getting pretty discouraged!

Starting to seriously think about selling this beast and buying a 5th gen in the next couple of months. I guess all good things must come to an end.

Sorry to hear, but understood. Like a foundation of a house, if a frame or chassis goes bad...

Have you pondered a frame swap? It seems a couple or so here have done so. It's quite an under-taking though...
 
Wow. Haven't posted on here in forever. Haven't done any modifications to the 4Runner recently. I've been running into some pretty serious rust issues on the rocker panels and frame. I'm getting too old to be crawling under there and fixing rust every weekend. Getting pretty discouraged!

Starting to seriously think about selling this beast and buying a 5th gen in the next couple of months. I guess all good things must come to an end.

Sorry to hear it. I must admit, us West Coasters are lucky, as we don't have to contend with the corrosion issues mid-westerners have to live with. Pretty much all the frame replacement threads I've seen, are Easterners... I love my 4Runner but if I was in the same boat, I think I would be leaning in the same direction as you are. A frame replacement is probably more work than I'd be willing to embark on...
 
Ahhh... I don't know where to start. Sad day.. This is by far, one of the sweetest 3rd gen. Builds on this forum. THANK YOU! For all the ideas and inspiration. Truly a hall of fame build.
 
Thanks guys. This is really tearing me up inside, but I know I have to sell it. A frame swap is way beyond my capabilities and resources. I'm hoping someone with a bigger skill set than mine will want it and fix it up.

I will be posting pics of the rust areas in the next few days.
 
Well everyone, I will be putting this 4Runner up for sale within the next week. This is a preview of my for sale thread I've been working on:

Title: For Sale: Black 2002 Sport Edition, Fully Built. $9K. SW Michigan

The time has come to sell my beloved 3rd gen. This vehicle was completely stock when I purchased it in 2006, and has been slowly built up over the past 15 years, as documented in my detailed build thread (see signature for link). Many of the modifications were designed and built by myself. This was a high-end build with only the best components.

Engine:

Original 3.4 with about 160K miles. Runs great!
Magnuson supercharger with URD 2.2” pulley
URD 7th injector kit.

Drivetrain:
Lotus Developement Front CV axles
ECGS built differentials with 5.29 gears
ARB air lockers front and rear. Powered by ARB Twin compressor.

Suspension/Lift:
Front:
ADS Racing adjustable coilovers w/ remote reservoirs.
SPC Upper control arms.
Total Chaos spindle gussets.
Wheeler’s Super bumpstops (2 pairs) for front LCA’s
Rear:
OME 861 rear springs.
ADS Racing rear shocks w/ piggyback reservoirs.
Miscellaneous:
Whiteline Poly Bushings in all suspension components.
Mstudt front/rear sway bar endlinks
1.5 inch body lift.

Wheels, Tires & Brakes:
Aluminum Eagle Alloy series 1378 wheels, 16” x 8” with 4.625” BS (fake beadlock)
1.25” Spidertrax wheel spacers
315/75R16 Goodyear Duratracs (about 30% tread remaining)
255/85R16 Maxxis Bighorn spare tire mounted in stock location.
Tundra 231mm front brakes
Rear Drum brakes just rebuilt in 2020

Exterior:
Paint in good condition except rocker panels (see below)
Custom built snorkel.
Custom built roof rack with lights in all directions.
Altezza tail lights and custom tail light guards.
Custom grille and emblem.
Green emblems/accents.
Limb risers.
Custom light panels under headlights.

Interior:
Custom low profile rear cargo box with 2 drawers and Hi-Lift jack compartment
Custom center switch console w/12 OTRATTW switches for lights and lockers
Samlex Pure Sign Wave 2000 Watt Inverter under driver’s seat, with remote power button mounted in dash.
ScanGauge II mounted on top of steering column.
Weathertech floor mats front and rear.
Boost and AFR gauges in custom gauge pod on A-pillar.
Custom built dog barrier.
Auxiliary 12V/USB ports.
Aftermarket Rostra Seat Heaters.
Wet Okole seat covers front and rear.

Armor:
Custom front and rear bumpers.
Customized 4xInnovation Rock Sliders, Modified to be bolt-on.
Full custom skidplates underneath: Front, Mid-belly, gas tank, rear diff.

Lights:
Fully custom Dual Projector headlights using highest quality components from TRS.
7” Round LED Pencil beam lights on front bumper
Rigid Industries R2 amber fog lights in front bumper
Two 6” Rigid Industries SR series spot lights under headlights.
24 watt 3” cube lights on fenders for ditch lights.
Rigid Industries Ignite backup lights in rear bumper.
2” round 10 watt LED rear facing lights in rear bumper.
Two 10” Rigid Industries SR series long-range hyperspot lights on front of roof rack.
Miscellaneous LED light pods on sides and rear of roof rack.
TheRetrofitSource Rock lights.
Under hood LED lights.

Engine Bay:
Brand new (March 2021) Odyssey battery, with custom multi-position terminal blocks.
ARB Twin Air Compressor with manifold for airing up tires.
12 position fuse block for accessories.
Auxiliary Trans cooler

Recovery:
Smittybilt X2O waterproof 10K winch with synthetic line and wireless remote.
45” Hi-Lift Jack (cut down from 48” to fit in cargo area)


The bad: (Trying to be as honest as possible here)

Frame rust. The worst area was alongside the muffler - thru-holes. This was repaired by welding 3/16” x 3” angle iron along the bottom edge of the frame. The rest of the frame has surface rust, but no thru-holes that I am aware of.

Rear upper shock mounts. They rusted away, so I welded in a 1/4” plate to replace them.

Rusted rocker panels. The rear halves of the rockers are rusted out with holes. I have aftermarket replacement panels to repair these, which are included in sale. A body shop estimated $1500 to repair the metal (no paint). Also the drivers side rear wheel well has a fist-sized rust hole in it. This was temporarily repaired by glueing a piece of sheetmetal over the hole on the inside of the truck, and sealed with roofing cement, in order to prevent water from coming inside.

Cracked windshield. Upper passenger side has 6” crack. Has not grown in several years, and is not in the way of passenger viewing, so I have not had it fixed.

Gutted-out catalytic converters due to them coming apart inside and clogging the exhaust. Using URD 02 simulator. (Made exhaust slightly louder).

P0136 CEL code (rear O2 sensor) Doesn’t affect performance. Sensor costs about $75 to replace.

Occasional P0440 CEL code (EVAP system) Doesn’t affect performance. Can easily be cleared using ScanGauge.

Small occasional oil leak on garage floor due to valve cover gaskets. A very minor issue and not worth fixing yet.

AC just stopped working this summer. Have not had a chance to see why.

Miscellaneous:
Stock sound system. Sunroof works. Newer lower ball joints. Newer radiator. Auxiliary trans cooler. Newer knock sensors and wiring harness. Newer water pump and timing belt.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten some things, but I think I got all the big stuff. Also includes several spare parts - Supercharger belts, OEM outer tie rods, rocker panel replacements, knock sensor, OEM CV axle, original intake parts, several miscellaneous bolts, clips, etc.

Asking price: $9,000 or best offer. If it weren’t for the rust issues, I’d be asking for $12K all day long. Located in Stevensville, MI. Vehicle won’t be available until August 1st.

PM me or respond here if interested.
 
I'm sad to see this go, but I also completely understand. Good luck with your sale, and I am excited to see what comes next. Too bad we can't just get you a rust free rig from socal or arizona and you could swap everything over. Good luck with your sale.
 

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