Blcktpgsr's '97 transformation

[blcktpgsr]

When I ordered my Gobi rack from Trail Duty last July, it came with a rear ladder that I never got to install. That ladder was meant to be installed on a 4Runner equipped with a rear blade wind deflector only.

My dilemma, I have a Jaos type rear wing and things weren't gonna work no matter how far I stretch my imagination without altering the ladder itself.



I started chopping the top portion of the ladder and the idea was to connect it to the roof rack itself as I had no viable option of mounting what was left of the chopped ladder onto the top of the rear door where conventionally, it was supposed to be mounted on. The old Jaos's mounting system got in the way for a mounting possibility, so onwards I go.

At the back of the roof rack was a light tab wide enough to accept the width of the ladder for an easy mounting point and so I went with that, that being the only choice I have.

I used an emt tube bender and bent 4 pieces of 1" tubing that would eventually form an S-shape.


See the part where I chopped the ladder, the amount of offset in relation of the ladders location to where it was gonna connect to.



Of course the newly formed ladder would use a hinge system as well. Now this part took alot of adjustments just in order to make the pivot work with the rear door.


I had this ladder powder coated to finish it off.













I recycled the Gobi signature that was originally on top of the ladder and welded it on the ladders rung.

 

[awpsome]

Pure sex.

 

[3rzrunner]

I thought you'd easily recognize. I also frequent the place alot since it's a minute away by walk, and you don't run out of spots to park on. lol!

We Toyota owners should take over that area in front of Michaels every Friday and outnumber the Classics car meet.:flamethrwoer2:

that would be awesome. :hungry:

 

[poleclimber63]

Yeah those were the good 'ol untapped years of creative ideas and originality... :bounce: which I now have a few left of lol...But in seriousness, i'm just happy to contribute is all..I get the same resources from everyone on here so it just reciprocates around.

You all were a part of that winning run last 2012. My endless gratitude remains the same to this day.

Hey I didn't know you were originally from North Van...

You have my respect, totally!
Yep, grew up a couple of blocks from the Cleveland Dam, many Summers spent on Ambleside beach, the Capilano River, and hiking Grouse! When my wife and I were first married, we regularly hiked Lynn Canyon, as she had lived in Lynn Valley and fell in love with it.
Later, we bought a home in Fort Langley (couldn't afford NV!!) and spent lots of time camping and off-roading between Chehalis and Harrison Lakes... All of this prompted me to buy a 4Runner...

 

[3rzrunner]

since you are frequently powder coating stuff.... do you happen to know someone or a good place? cause I have a few bits and bobs that I need 'coated.

 

[poleclimber63]

When I ordered my Gobi rack from Trail Duty last July, it came with a rear ladder that I never got to install. That ladder was meant to be installed on a 4Runner equipped with a rear blade wind deflector only.

My dilemma, I have a Jaos type rear wing and things weren't gonna work no matter how far I stretch my imagination without altering the ladder itself.



I started chopping the top portion of the ladder and the idea was to connect it to the roof rack itself as I had no viable option of mounting what was left of the chopped ladder onto the top of the rear door where conventionally, it was supposed to be mounted on. The old Jaos's mounting system got in the way for a mounting possibility, so onwards I go.

At the back of the roof rack was a light tab wide enough to accept the width of the ladder for an easy mounting point and so I went with that, that being the only choice I have.

I used an emt tube bender and bent 4 pieces of 1" tubing that would eventually form an S-shape.


See the part where I chopped the ladder, the amount of offset in relation of the ladders location to where it was gonna connect to.



Of course the newly formed ladder would use a hinge system as well. Now this part took alot of adjustments just in order to make the pivot work with the rear door.


I had this ladder powder coated to finish it off.













I recycled the Gobi signature that was originally on top of the ladder and welded it on the ladders rung.

WOW!! Love the ladder/hatch setup! The light bar looks great---- the whole front grill/bumper/winch---- fantastic! Truly inspiring!

 

[blcktpgsr]

In the middle of everything else, my brother from California decided that he wanted the same exact bumper that I have- being the modified version of the ARB bumper....and so I obliged.

We picked it up from North Shore Off Road in the first week of May this year. But due to the things I needed to make in preparation for making the bumper, I didn't get started on it until the last week of the same month.

I was determined to use mostly the plasma cutter for the major cuts for this bumper project but knowing that 110Volt wasn't gonna get it done, I decided to hook up a 220 volt line from the main breaker to the garage and that took time and research. Now that I have the 220 volt capable plasma, it was time to get to town.

My cousins 1996 became the guinea pig for the project. Firstly, I had to put a 1" BL on it for the same reason as my brothers 2002 also has a 1" BL.

I'm just gonna post some notable pics for the documentation purpose but I'll post a Photobucket link containing over 100 photos of the whole process for you to see.













And the Finished product....



......My retrofitted headlights went into ^this 4Runner...I think it looks better on this Sports than when I had them on mine. The overall look just flows together well.

Please visit this link when you have the time to spare...Photobucket link...
3rd Version ARB Photos by blcktpgsr | Photobucket

 

[0xfded]

Good lord, that silver runner with all your trimmings looks inspiringly bad ass.

 

[blcktpgsr]

As many of you know, I used to have some PIAA 520's up on the roof I had before the Gobi, those I had to sell as they just didn't look right mounted in front of the full length rack in the Gobi. They'd stick up like they don't belong.

Recently, I came across a deal on a 30" Rigid Industries E-series lightbar on craigslist and so I grabbed the opportunity to own something of quality...or a namebrand, whichever you prefer..

Once again, i needed to modify the rack in order to accommodate the light bar the way I wanted. It looked alright with it just sitting high up in front of the rack but i wanted something with a custom fit look.

Here's the E-Series including some filters..




How the light bar looked pre-modification.




Here's how I mangled the rack.....This is self-explanatory from here..Basically, all I needed was to step down the lower cross bar to achieve the height and position of the light bar. This also allows it to be pushed back for a more incorporated look.










In the end i guess.. it's all just a matter of personal preference.

 

[Jmartins]

Thanks sir, where in Canada are you located?

I'm an Ontario brother lol near Hamilton. I haven't seen any T4Rs around my area and my truck is pretty stock (for now) hoping maybe to meet a few brothers around here.

JM

 

[cdrewferd]

So glad you're posting again. The recent mods look great. Can't wait to see more wheeling pics and updates.

 

[blcktpgsr]

Pure sex.

:bravo:

You have my respect, totally!
Yep, grew up a couple of blocks from the Cleveland Dam, many Summers spent on Ambleside beach, the Capilano River, and hiking Grouse! When my wife and I were first married, we regularly hiked Lynn Canyon, as she had lived in Lynn Valley and fell in love with it.
Later, we bought a home in Fort Langley (couldn't afford NV!!) and spent lots of time camping and off-roading between Chehalis and Harrison Lakes... All of this prompted me to buy a 4Runner...

Thank you so much!
Sounds like you guys lived a very adventurous and active lives when you were here. I wish you the best life has to offer out there Vernonite!

since you are frequently powder coating stuff.... do you happen to know someone or a good place? cause I have a few bits and bobs that I need 'coated.

There are two powder coaters here in North Van- one of which I just found out about recently. The company is called Bev Key. The other one is Superior Powder Coatings Ltd. and the owners name is Pedro. He's the one I deal with all the time. Tell him I sent you!

WOW!! Love the ladder/hatch setup! The light bar looks great---- the whole front grill/bumper/winch---- fantastic! Truly inspiring!

Glad you like it man!

Good lord, that silver runner with all your trimmings looks inspiringly bad ass.

I'll be sure to relay the message, thanks for the compliment.

I'm an Ontario brother lol near Hamilton. I haven't seen any T4Rs around my area and my truck is pretty stock (for now) hoping maybe to meet a few brothers around here.

JM

Yeah I don't know many members that reside out there in your area...fightman80 pops out in my head as one of the long time members, though.

So glad you're posting again. The recent mods look great. Can't wait to see more wheeling pics and updates.

Glad to be around..Yeah, i'll be uploading some wheeling pics to pick up the slack and inactivity to get back on track later in the day.

thanks for droppin by.

 

[Dirtyfingers]

Mmmm 4runner porn. Thank you. That made my day haha.

 

[white rocket]

WOW, what an awesome build!! :clap2: Very inspirational. and local too!

 

[blcktpgsr]

Mmmm 4runner porn. Thank you. That made my day haha.

WOW, what an awesome build!! :clap2: Very inspirational. and local too!

Thanks fellas!

Some wheeling pics for a change....







Some from our annual Whipsaw Trip every August. This was the 3rd year of this event.









Some Vids.....







You can definitely hear the rear hard stock bumpstops squeeling in this video.

 

[Jmartins]

Love this all. Once I finally start the mods on my truck I may need to an invite to any brothers in my area that go mudding.

Still brother your truck is amazing I may need to shoot you a pm as I have a few questions about stuff you did.

Thanks for posting up and keep up the amazing work honestly.
JM

 

[KANO]

So I just finished reviewing and reading all 51 pages of this thread. A big thumbs up to the OP!

One can appreciate any vehicle that is built according to the needs and wants of the operator..... not being built just to attain the ooo's and ahhh's of others.

A quick look back at the first picture on page 1 will immediately show how much blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this rig!

Let's see a side by side comparison of the original versus present day status!!

 

[Full_Throttle]

See what happens when I stay way from the forum for a while and forget to check your thread....Everything's changed!! Love the rear bumper, lights changed, skids, lots of cool stuff! Roof and ladder....everything looks great man, just great.

I love how you rounded the rear bumper and angled it, I wish I had thought to angle mine, but with my tire carrier on the bumper it worked out ok

Kudos

 

[blcktpgsr]

Love this all. Once I finally start the mods on my truck I may need to an invite to any brothers in my area that go mudding.

Still brother your truck is amazing I may need to shoot you a pm as I have a few questions about stuff you did.

Thanks for posting up and keep up the amazing work honestly.
JM

Anytime, just ask away.

So I just finished reviewing and reading all 51 pages of this thread. A big thumbs up to the OP!

One can appreciate any vehicle that is built according to the needs and wants of the operator..... not being built just to attain the ooo's and ahhh's of others.

A quick look back at the first picture on page 1 will immediately show how much blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this rig!

Let's see a side by side comparison of the original versus present day status!!

Appreciate your thoughts. Every phase of the build took time to get it where it is now. Yes even frustrations were a big part of it, but we all love our rigs, and all that dedication always squares off, you get enough enthusiasm and encouragement from fellow members and that just keeps you goin....like the energizer bunny.:becky:

I'll have to get back with you on the "past & present" form of the 4runner once I dig up a nice comparo shots.

See what happens when I stay way from the forum for a while and forget to check your thread....Everything's changed!! Love the rear bumper, lights changed, skids, lots of cool stuff! Roof and ladder....everything looks great man, just great.

I love how you rounded the rear bumper and angled it, I wish I had thought to angle mine, but with my tire carrier on the bumper it worked out ok

Kudos

Lol..Well then I guess you've been away for some time as I have not to notice any of these baloneys..But glad to hear back from you and inputting some cool feedbacks.

 

[Hepar]

Dang. As always, I LOVE your additions. Doesn't look like you're just packing more crap on to pack more crap on. All functional. I also love it when you take an existing product and tweak it to fit your rig. Will make anyone who knows the product take a 2nd look.

And I just want to remind everyone again what this f'in thing started out as.