Blcktpgsr's '97 transformation

[blcktpgsr]

:wow2::wow2::wow2::wow2:

Words can't describe how amazed I am. As someone who doesn't even have a T4R yet (but wants to get one by next Spring) and is waiting for the 'right' one to go up for sale…

… I can definitely say that yours will be a HUGE inspiration for any future mods I have. Doing Vancouver proud brah. That build is insane.

Oh you're gonna love having a 4runner man..I can guarantee you one thing though, the mods won't just stop soon after you get your lift and tires...ohhh no Sirree, there'll be more to follow.:jk:

I'm just glad I could provide you with some mod visions for your future ride, and I hope you get the best deal as far as your searching goes.

Where in the mainland are you located?

You're welcome! You've got a million good ideas of your own, so I'm glad I could contribute one to your build. I only had time for a quick comment last time, but I've since taken a few minutes to check out the pics of your bumper build. You never disappoint, Ervin. That's a nice piece of work you put together... high clearance, great lines, and the small touches like the rounded top edge really set it apart.

Like I've said before... anytime you're gone for too long I know you'll be back with something good.

PS, we may have the same welder, but you've gotten much better at using yours than I have mine. Those welds are looking mighty fine!

All the works and projects you've used the Hobart for like the rear links, rear trailing arm skids, skid plates etc were a spur for me to use my own welder and get started..atleast with a project from scratch.

I needed that push to be motivated or challenged, whichever.!

I'm sure with enough practice runs, you'll be better than me. Keep on man!

Hey man.... Just spend the better part of an hour trying to find that pic of you and the dark blue Taco.... but can't find it for the life of me!! lol! It was taken way before you did the plate bumper, or the black wheels.... and you guys are on the top of a mountain somewhere....

Don't worry 'bout it at all man. I'm just gonna ask my buddy for the link to those said pics.

What kind of tools are you using to make your bumpers and skids? Did you cut round tubing to get the rounded edge pieces? I really like the idea of building your own bumpers/armor, but not sure what a good place to start tool wise would be.

Just your typical tools like a 4 1/2" angle grinder, cutting, sanding and grinding discs, cordless drill and bits plus step drill bit. I used the angle finder for the skids as well this time, and of course the welder, lol. Have atleast two angle grinders so as to save some time from interchanging the cutting and sanding wheels.

For the round corner edges, I just cut a quarter from a 1 1/4 tubing like I did for the front bumper. See pic.

Wow man this is one hell of a build... nice work!

Much obliged and thanks for commenting.

 

[rickashay]

Ervin? Your alive? Weird.

I guess I'm not surprised to see that you've been away and confined to your meticulous home-fabrication. Your creating a monster, and I love it! haha Truck looks WICKED, you never cease to amaze creativity and ingenuity. Hope your doing well!

Addison

 

[shouldbeasy]

Ervin? You're alive? Weird.

I guess I'm not surprised to see that you've been away and confined to your meticulous home-fabrication. You're creating a monster, and I love it! haha Truck looks WICKED, you never cease to amaze creativity and ingenuity. Hope you're doing well!

Addison

FTFY...

3 in a row Addison. I had to...

 

[blcktpgsr]

Ervin? Your alive? Weird.

I guess I'm not surprised to see that you've been away and confined to your meticulous home-fabrication. Your creating a monster, and I love it! haha Truck looks WICKED, you never cease to amaze creativity and ingenuity. Hope your doing well!

Addison

All hale & hearty here, thanks man!

...Just tryin' to keep up with the big boys and to liven up the thread just a tad, you know. Felt like it had been a century since I did something creative.. :heh:
Glad to hear from you A, yeah I hope all is well with you as well. Take good care bud!

 

[SCRunner12]

Just your typical tools like a 4 1/2" angle grinder, cutting, sanding and grinding discs, cordless drill and bits plus step drill bit. I used the angle finder for the skids as well this time, and of course the welder, lol. Have atleast two angle grinders so as to save some time from interchanging the cutting and sanding wheels.

For the round corner edges, I just cut a quarter from a 1 1/4 tubing like I did for the front bumper.

Thanks a lot for the response. I'm really wanting to build my own armor rather than buying it, but need to build the tool supply up. Might have to copy your idea of the rounded edges as I have always preferred them to the squared edges.

 

[blcktpgsr]

Thanks a lot for the response. I'm really wanting to build my own armor rather than buying it, but need to build the tool supply up. Might have to copy your idea of the rounded edges as I have always preferred them to the squared edges.

You're welcome!
Plus you get better satisfaction knowing you've built them, at the same time, you can design them to your own liking. Those essential tools shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg to compile. Got my welder from Craigslist too!

But I've since learned to use some quality cutting wheels as opposed to using cheap on sale ones that goes fast and doesn't go far.

Those rolled edges takes twice as much time to do than just butting corners but it's well turned-out IMO.

 

[smkd13]

You're welcome!
Plus you get better satisfaction knowing you've built them, at the same time, you can design them to your own liking. Those essential tools shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg to compile. Got my welder from Craigslist too!

But I've since learned to use some quality cutting wheels as opposed to using cheap on sale ones that goes fast and doesn't go far.

Those rolled edges takes twice as much time to do than just butting corners but it's well turned-out IMO.

Hmmm ok so you did you whole bumper by using a grinder to do your cuts??? Yep I can see how your neighbors might hate you

Get spoiled with a plasma once and it is all over from there you'll never want to grind another thing again lol

 

[blcktpgsr]

Hmmm ok so you did you whole bumper by using a grinder to do your cuts??? Yep I can see how your neighbors might hate you

Get spoiled with a plasma once and it is all over from there you'll never want to grind another thing again lol

That's about right, also my air compressor is just 8 gallons, (mainly I used it for airbrushing) and I'd hate to be delayed every few seconds everytime the tank has to fill up with used air.

Better the neighbors than me.:evil:

 

[10ac]

All i have to say is...WOW. Very nice build and i am completely amazed. Gives me hope that one day ill get my runner done. Very talented at all the fabricating you did. Surprised this isnt in 4WD magazine!!!

 

[blcktpgsr]

All i have to say is...WOW. Very nice build and i am completely amazed. Gives me hope that one day ill get my runner done. Very talented at all the fabricating you did. Surprised this isnt in 4WD magazine!!!

Thanks for the PM's and for taking a part of your time to go thru the build.
And thanks for the kind words too.

Oh..you'd have to be from either Cali or Colorado to get those kinda priviledges.:moping:

 

[foxrider56]

man your bulid is awesome! one day i hpoe to have mine like yours. but ive tried to read through the bulid but i dont think it was ever mentioned, what gas millage do you get ? i know its not made for fuel economy but im currious because i want to go to 35s one day and i dont want it to be completly terrible. also if why did you choose 4.88 over 5.29? finally if i were to do a 1.5" body lift on top of my tundra coils and lc 8 wraps would i be able to clear 35's with a little pounding or would i have to cut and pound a lot? sorry to bother you with all these questions but you seem to be the man to ask! thanks!

 

[blcktpgsr]

man your bulid is awesome! one day i hpoe to have mine like yours. but ive tried to read through the bulid but i dont think it was ever mentioned, what gas millage do you get ? i know its not made for fuel economy but im currious because i want to go to 35s one day and i dont want it to be completly terrible. also if why did you choose 4.88 over 5.29? finally if i were to do a 1.5" body lift on top of my tundra coils and lc 8 wraps would i be able to clear 35's with a little pounding or would i have to cut and pound a lot? sorry to bother you with all these questions but you seem to be the man to ask! thanks!

It's not a bother at all and thanks for complimenting!

Right now with all the added weight of the skids and the bumpers, and the rolling resistance of the 12.5" wide 35's, i'm lucky if I still get 350 kms to the tank, city/hwy driving.....but like I always say, I don't DD the 4Runner so it works out for me.

Having re-geared to 4.88's definitely helped to afford all that. I chose 4.88's just because I got the gears for a screaming deal locally, and if asked if i have to redo things...I'd still stick with 4.88's because it's more than adequate to compensate for the power lost due to the additional weight.

I kept telling my brother that the truck felt weirdly light, as a recent observation. Maybe because I also switched using high octane gasoline IDK, but the 4runner honestly feels dynamic. The truck seems to be really in tune with the 4.88's.

The 1.5" BL would certainly help to clear the 35's. If you really want a fully functioning suspension without binding, then I would definitely say cutting, pounding and possibly welding is your best bet.:thumb3:

 

[drabbits]

Hmmm ok so you did you whole bumper by using a grinder to do your cuts??? Yep I can see how your neighbors might hate you

Get spoiled with a plasma once and it is all over from there you'll never want to grind another thing again lol

Dude, completely gobsmacked with your attention to detail and creativeness.
Saw what you been up to a few weeks ago and for the first two days I was speechless.
What's next? Actually never mind, rather wait to see.
Went through something similar with neighbors complaining about what I do and then the city inspectors stopped by, although they found nothing wrong with what I was doing, the wife was all stressed out, which lead to my little shop. There will always be one neighbor that wants to screw with everyone...
Anyway, like what [MENTION=88576]smkd13[/MENTION] was saying dude, look into a plasma. A good used Miller would be the way to go, the 375 is perfect for what we do. Check the welding forums for a used one under $1000.
Here's the deal with using grinders to do all that work, over time the vibration from these types of tools, including die grinders, will damage the tiny blood vessels in your hands. It causes you hand to tingle, like when your foot "falls asleep". Dude, I just turned 40 and it's starting, so I've learned how to hold my tools differently, like holding it with the handle and easing up on my grip has helped. Also taking breaks and doing something else for a little while has helped. Not trying to scare you, just looking out, anyway get a plasma when you can. BTW, I'm launching a 5th Gen. roof rack next week, I think its pretty sweet, lol, but it's a bias opinion, always open to creative criticism.
Dude, love what you did to your ARB, love their classic look, but it needs an update and I think you found it. Laters man.

 

[blcktpgsr]

Dude, completely gobsmacked with your attention to detail and creativeness.
Saw what you been up to a few weeks ago and for the first two days I was speechless.
What's next? Actually never mind, rather wait to see.
Went through something similar with neighbors complaining about what I do and then the city inspectors stopped by, although they found nothing wrong with what I was doing, the wife was all stressed out, which lead to my little shop. There will always be one neighbor that wants to screw with everyone...
Anyway, like what [MENTION=88576]smkd13[/MENTION] was saying dude, look into a plasma. A good used Miller would be the way to go, the 375 is perfect for what we do. Check the welding forums for a used one under $1000.
Here's the deal with using grinders to do all that work, over time the vibration from these types of tools, including die grinders, will damage the tiny blood vessels in your hands. It causes you hand to tingle, like when your foot "falls asleep". Dude, I just turned 40 and it's starting, so I've learned how to hold my tools differently, like holding it with the handle and easing up on my grip has helped. Also taking breaks and doing something else for a little while has helped. Not trying to scare you, just looking out, anyway get a plasma when you can. BTW, I'm launching a 5th Gen. roof rack next week, I think its pretty sweet, lol, but it's a bias opinion, always open to creative criticism.
Dude, love what you did to your ARB, love their classic look, but it needs an update and I think you found it. Laters man.

Hey thanks for the look out and also sharing your personal experiences using these tools and how I can possibly save me some grief later on. I'll certainly keep all these in mind.

A plasma has always been in my prime list of tools to want to have, just waitin on a nice deal to snag. In the meantime, I can always borrow my friend's when I desperately need the use for one. I'm the hypocrite in a way that I always keep muttering----right tools for the job whenever I got something right the first time..:tape:

On a more serious note, I do believe the importance of a plasma cutter and how it goes handy for what we try to accomplish. I will also keep an eye on that Miller 375 and thanks for the tip.

Hey GL on your rack venture with the 5th Gen model! Talking about rack, I did some little personal touches on my Gobi recently.

I've always admired Landcruisers and the likes that have legs on their racks that attaches to a channel. I also like how they make the rack appear to have wider stance because of the legs.

This is my imitated version.







I prefer having the feet of the rack outboarded from the tracks. It still uses the existing track to attach from.

REAR


MID


FRONT










layball:

 

[azcat90]

Console swap

Now those who have done this mod knows well that the switch for the ECT and Back Window has to be relocated..maybe even the Factory Toyota alarm indicator.
Some chooses to put them on the shifter-transfer case cover, some right where the knock-out's are just to the left of the steering wheel.

My 2000 frame is rusted so I bought a 97 Limited for $500 from a guy at work. I'm trying to move over as many of the upgraded items as I can.

The security blinking light, ECT switch and rear window switch will all have to move from the parking brake cowl to up above the AC Control. Also I'm going to try and see if I can supply power to the 2 additional 12 volt outlets. I doubt it.

Of course this is all moot if the radio slot and AC controls are not in the exact same place. I know the vents are different but I am hoping I can move the ducts over to make it fit.

Do you think it is possible to swap the entire console and instrument panel?

 

[the great him]

I did some little personal touches on my Gobi recently.

I've always admired Landcruisers and the likes that have legs on their racks that attaches to a channel. I also like how they make the rack appear to have wider stance because of the legs.

This is my imitated version.







I prefer having the feet of the rack outboarded from the tracks. It still uses the existing track to attach from.

REAR


MID


FRONT










layball:

so maybe im mission something here... you always seam to do mods that are for a purpose or a reason, im not seeing it here with this mod other than aesthetics, and really that looks like a lot of work and or money to just "look cool" and i dont really see you as the kinda guy to do that kinda stuff. so whats the deal with this?

 

[dwatty79]

what a awesome 3rd Gen...makes me want to sell my '04

 

[Dirtyfingers]

Where've you been?

Hey man haven't seen you on lately. Just wanted to see how the man that influenced my build was doing, any updates? Wheeling adventures?

 

[4Runner4TW]

Are you located in West Seattle? I keep seeing a 4Runner just like yours in that area and then today at a exotic car event in Redmond.

 

[K2Runner]

I believe he lives in BC. But I'll keep an eye out for a rig like his in the Seattle area...