BenK's 4R Build

[BenK]

Currently:

I recently purchased a 2001 4Runner SR5 4x4 and figured I should go ahead and start a build thread. It's Sunfire Red Metallic with the Thundercloud Grey 2 tone. 166k miles with a lifetime of dealer service records. Very clean inside and out. I brought it home and immediately removed the running boards. Here she is:

This first week, I removed the door guards and front bug shield, washed/vacuumed it, and changed the 3 drive belts. Also, I had an exhaust rattle that ended up being a rusted out connection between the tail pipe and the muffler, so I pulled the tail pipe off and am going to get a new muffler this week. More on that later.

This morning I picked up parts and did the deckplate mod. I'm going to do the ISR mod as well but figured I'd wait til I got the muffler and pick up the pipe while I'm at the shop.

There should be a lot more to come. I've already got plans for rock sliders, some paint work, lift/tires, and hopefully a supercharger eventually. I had a 98 Tacoma a while back that I put the supercharger on and I just don't think I can go without it.

 

[rickashay]

Looks like a hella-clean starting point. Nice moves on the early running board delete.... Congrats on the purchase, I look forward to seeing what you do with it!

 

[BenK]

I'm slowing getting the ball rolling on my build. Last weekend I changed the oil and spark plugs so I'm now current on all of the basic maintenance items on the truck. I also got the rusty muffler replaced with an 18" Magnaflow this week. It sounds great and I'm glad I went with the 18" instead of the 24" or the 14". I wouldn't want it any louder or quieter.

This morning I got my front windows tinted so I thought I'd post some before/after pics.

Before:

After:

Now it's time to save up for the real mods...

 

[Hepar]

Great start!

 

[BenK]

Great start!

Thanks!

I just finished doing the ISR mod. I can't say I notice a difference in sound. Maybe I would have if I'd done it before replacing the muffler. Regardless, I'll take a few extra ponies for $25.

The plan is to have sliders and tires (leaning towards the Toyo Open Country A/T II's) before the end of the year and then lift her up 3" in the spring.

 

[Fishwerks]

Looks really clean so far! I'm looking forward to the next mods.

What are the short term plans?

 

[BenK]

Savage Off Road Sliders

I ordered a pair of the Savage Off Road sliders with the kick out a few days ago. I like the design and after a lot of searching I felt like they were the best bang for my buck considering the type/quantity of off roading I'll be doing.

I'm going to color match them to my flares. I like the 2 tone and the only thing I disliked about taking off the OEM running boards was that they sort of tied the color scheme together. My dad owns a body shop so the paint work and welding will be my Xmas present.

Come spring, I'm selling one of my motorcycles and using the funds to get the Complete OME kit from ToyTec (3") and new tires. I'm still trying to decide which tires but I'm leaning towards the Toyo Open Country LT265/75/16s.

 

[downpour11]

I'm liking that color combo you got there :thumb3:

 

[BenK]

Thanks downpour! I'm still waiting on the sliders but figured I'd post a maintenance update before I lose the paper I've been keeping track of everything on.

Here are all of the maintenance items I've taken care of so far. Sorry for any redundancies:

10/15/12 | 166,950 mi | Purolator Air Filter
10/19/12 | 167,011 mi | Drive Belts (PS, AC, Alt)
10/21/12 | 167,137 mi | Oil Change (Castrol High Mileage Part Synthetic 5W30 & Purolator PureOne Filter)
10/27/12 | 167,422 mi | Spark Plugs (NGK BKR5EKB-11)
11/17/12 | 168,408 mi | Wiper Blades (TriCo Flex)
Somewhere in here I cleaned the Throttle Body
12/01/12 | 168,983 mi | Front Sway Bar Bushings (Wheeler's Offroad)
12/15/12 | 169,828 mi | Transfer Case Oil (Mobil1 75W90 Synthetic)
12/15/12 | 169,833 mi | Front Differential Oil (Mobil1 75W90 Synthetic)
12/16/12 | 169,841 mi | Rear Differential Oil (Mobil1 75W90 Synthetic)

Any advice on what to do next? I'm thinking transmission fluid and a valve adjustment.

 

[BenK]

Time for some updates. For Christmas my dad got me a much needed new seat cushion for the driver's seat. I knew the old one was bad but I cannot stress what a difference the new one makes. I probably wouldn't have bought the new cushion on my own, but that would have been a mistake. It feels like a new truck and is so much more enjoyable to drive now.

Old cushion (far side cut off in removal):

New cushion:

Installed:

 

[Dous]

Nice!

How long did it take to install that new cushion?

 

[BenK]

Also, I painted the center caps for my wheels this past weekend. I used Duplicolor Silver Metallic paint and Krylon clear coat. I'll just post a before and after picture and describe what I did.

1. Lightly hand sanded with 220. I say "lightly" because I was careful not to bear down too hard and gouge the plastic. I wasn't trying to remove all of the paint, but I wanted to be sure to get rid of all of the paint that had let go of the plastic and was chipping away.

2. Followed up with 320 to smooth out the 220 treatment a little and blend the edges of any "good" paint that would remain.

3. I sprayed them down with electrical contact cleaner (plastic safe), let them dry, then wiped them down with mineral spirits. I only used the contact cleaner because I didn't have any compressed air.

4. I used 4 coats of Rustoleum Automotive Primer with 45 minutes between coats. I then baked them in a warm oven (one of the benefits of being single) for 10 mins before thoroughly wet sanding them with 600 grit paper. I then baked them again and let them sit over night.

5. Next day I applied 4 coats of color, letting them sit for 1 hour after each coat. I also rotated the caps 1/4 turn before each coat so that the paint was applied as evenly as possible. One of the caps had a small wrinkle spot in the paint after coat #2 so I baked them all and lightly wet sanded them again before coats 3&4.

6. I baked them one last time after the 4th coat sat for an hour, let them cool, and then applied 4 coats of clear. Again, I let them rest for 1 hour after each application and rotated in between.

It started raining as I was finishing so I don't have a picture of them on the truck yet, but the paint matches very well. I'll wash my wheels and post a picture with the caps on asap.

Sorry for the long winded explanation. Here's the before and after pics. I intentionally left the black off for now. I liked the way they looked without it and can always add it later if I change my mind.

Before:

After:

 

[BenK]

Nice!

How long did it take to install that new cushion?

Less than 2 hours. The cushion is held to the seat frame with little copper rings that have to the pried open and then crimped shut again. That part was time consuming but all in all it was very easy and straight forward. I took a couple more pictures but not enough for a real write up or anything.

 

[BenK]

Savage Off Road Sliders

My Savage Offroad sliders finally arrived tonight! My first impression was - Damn these things are nice! They're way beefier than I'd anticipated and the fab/welding work is top notch. I took one out and held it up to the 4R and they're just the look I was going for. They tie into the lines of the flares very well.

Now that the excitement is over, here's the plan for them. My dad has a body shop about 3 hours from me. He's going to be doing the paint work and welding them on. I'm going to take a day off work next week so I can bring them down there and do all the prep work. That way I can leave them to be painted (Thundercloud) and then go down the next weekend to help weld them on.

We'll see how it goes though and I'll post pics along the way. For now, here they are:

 

[BenK]

Sliders Installed

The sliders got painted last week and we welded them on yesterday. Here's a few pics:

Painted:

Welding them on:

Finished:

 

[Kanger328]

[/QUOTE]New cushion:

[/QUOTE]

Where did he buy the cushion? I need one for the driver side and can't find it online. Do I have to go to the dealer?

 

[BenK]

Where did he buy the cushion? I need one for the driver side and can't find it online. Do I have to go to the dealer?

He got it through the dealer - I'm not sure if they're available somewhere else.

 

[BenK]

Lift time

Just ordered the OME Complete 881/890 kit from Toytec. Let the waiting begin.

I'm going to stick with 265/75/16 tires so I figured I should do the lift first since there are still quite a few miles left in the Michelins I've got on there now. It might look goofy for a little while since the Michelins aren't very aggressive, but I'll either live with them or swap them out early and keep a couple for spares.

 

[BenK]

So much for keeping the Michelins... Just ordered a set of 265/75/16 Duratracs. This time next weekend I should have a whole new Runner!

 

[zgensler31]

Great call on the duratracs! Everyone that has them loves them. And I love the color matched sliders. I've always felt the same way about the flares once the running boards are removed, and it did tie it all back together very well.