BrianSD_42
New member
Yeah for sure. Apparently this isn't totally uncommon. In fact Total Chaos and my local shop both make spindle upgrades that weld on. But I was told it isn't very common. So yes rare, but not unheard of.
BrianSD_42 Photo Journal Build Maintenance Thread
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Yeah for sure. Apparently this isn't totally uncommon. In fact Total Chaos and my local shop both make spindle upgrades that weld on. But I was told it isn't very common. So yes rare, but not unheard of.
TBuzz
New member
Wow Brian so glad that wasn't worse than it was. That right there is plain scary to me and I need to look into gussets myself I guess. Cool that Rob was able to help out. Pictures from that desert trip look great. Thanks for sharing. What's with all the strange art, structures and so on I see in the CA desert photos ppl post?
Also,,I've had the MTn bike out and getting more into that again and upgrading. Will be ready if you guys come again this year.
Also,,I've had the MTn bike out and getting more into that again and upgrading. Will be ready if you guys come again this year.
BrianSD_42
New member
Thanks - I'm glad we made it out safe. I'm lucky to have a good friend. About the artwork, yeah there is always some cool artwork out in these ghost towns.
I would look into this for sure. If it happens to you, you'll be completely stranded. On a difficult trail (eg Top of the World) it would be a nightmare or impossible to tow out and replacing the part is far far from easy.
You would need to get a replacement Toyota 4WD spindle/hub ($340-400 per side new, $100 used) wheel bearing, press it in at a shop and then get the part back out to the trail to install it. Huge task in the best of circumstances.
Total Chaos makes a pair of weld on reinforcements and they are only $30 per side. The downside is you need to remove the spindle/hub to assembly to do the welding. This is a good project for anyone considering replacing the wheel bearings since about 90% of the work overlaps.
I would look into this for sure. If it happens to you, you'll be completely stranded. On a difficult trail (eg Top of the World) it would be a nightmare or impossible to tow out and replacing the part is far far from easy.
You would need to get a replacement Toyota 4WD spindle/hub ($340-400 per side new, $100 used) wheel bearing, press it in at a shop and then get the part back out to the trail to install it. Huge task in the best of circumstances.
Total Chaos makes a pair of weld on reinforcements and they are only $30 per side. The downside is you need to remove the spindle/hub to assembly to do the welding. This is a good project for anyone considering replacing the wheel bearings since about 90% of the work overlaps.
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infamousRNR
Senior Member
cool pics Brian,
sorry for your damage to your truck,
how much did it cost to have the shop do the work?...
sorry for your damage to your truck,
how much did it cost to have the shop do the work?...
GreenbowCounty
New member
Glad you were able to make it out man. Definitely pays to have company when wheeling.
Nice shots on the D7000. That's what I shoot with too when not snapping on the phone. At some point after I feel I've mastered it maybe try an FX format.
Nice shots on the D7000. That's what I shoot with too when not snapping on the phone. At some point after I feel I've mastered it maybe try an FX format.
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
Good advice. Definitely doing this.
jpeaslee
New member
I'm looking to add this as my 4runner recently became my secondary car, and I'm looking to add a solar charger for the same reasons you did. In the reviews on amazon, there are some people warning of this potentially overcharging the battery. Have you had any issues with this at all?
s20004runner
New member
After following Brian's failure, I bought the gussets and the directions do not require removal of the entire spindle. approx $35+shipping for the pair.
BrianSD_42
New member
The solar trickle charger is pretty weak. I haven't had any issues with battery overcharging. I would love to get a professional opinion if any has some input. My personal experience has been no issues so far.
BrianSD_42
New member
In my case the spindle was broken so it had to be removed on the driver side. The wheel bearing was replaced as well for the first time. The passenger side was done as well for symmetry. If you were able to weld on the additions without major overhaul that's great. I didn't do the work myself so I'm just going with how the mechanic explained it to me, I'll admit not all of it clicked in my head instantly.
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BrianSD_42
New member
Not on T4R. At least that I'm aware of.
4Running Daily
New member
No build thread, but here's a link to some photos of him running the Rubicon
Como Chingas Off Road, RUBICON 2013 - Page 5
Goatcheese
New member
Oh dude! i live in Prunedale! funny to see you lived in Santa Cruz for a while. my rig is not ready for hollister hills but hopefully soon i can get some off road experience over there. inspirational build man 
:whoo:
:whoo:
BrianSD_42
New member
The death valley complications I had resulted in my truck being down for several weeks and that whole time the battery sad completely drained. The battery never came back to its full functionality. It would only charge up to 60%. Not good.
So I decided to return it to Costco and they gave me a full refund. It was about 18 months old. Costco doesn't even check the battery, they just refund you. Needless to say I went and bought another battery from Costco. This one is Interstate with 700 CCA and cost me $90. It should be a good battery, assuming I don't let it set completely drained for weeks.
[MENTION=110387]jstim[/MENTION] I also replaced the top part of my battery box (pictured) with a new metal cover that closely emulates the factory way of bracing the battery. I suggest others who want to install a battery box do the same. For about two years now I've had the battery box welded to the inside of the engine bay and while it was stable at first it would Rock loose over time and creek. This is because the battery weighs a lot and the metal in the engine bay is thin. Moral of the story is you should try to preserve as much of the factory mounting setup as possible. Btw, my battery box is from Ballistic Fabrication. Great workmanship but there is no clear install method besides welding and doing what I did.
Here it is with the modified setup, with a battery box and also a custom mount.
Upcoming mods and trips
I'm going to Sedona soon. Still debating if I should take the truck or not.
* clean entire interior (death valley and mammoth did a number on the interior).
* trans drain and fill x2.
* repaint skid plates. Mine are beat to hell after DV.
* replace dash bulbs which went out the same night as my DV fiasco.
* fix side window which became detached from the mechanical arm in Mammoth because I tried to roll it down while it was frozen over with ice.
That's a good start.
Btw on a side note Zootopia was a great movie. The finance and I really liked it.
:yo:
So I decided to return it to Costco and they gave me a full refund. It was about 18 months old. Costco doesn't even check the battery, they just refund you. Needless to say I went and bought another battery from Costco. This one is Interstate with 700 CCA and cost me $90. It should be a good battery, assuming I don't let it set completely drained for weeks.
[MENTION=110387]jstim[/MENTION] I also replaced the top part of my battery box (pictured) with a new metal cover that closely emulates the factory way of bracing the battery. I suggest others who want to install a battery box do the same. For about two years now I've had the battery box welded to the inside of the engine bay and while it was stable at first it would Rock loose over time and creek. This is because the battery weighs a lot and the metal in the engine bay is thin. Moral of the story is you should try to preserve as much of the factory mounting setup as possible. Btw, my battery box is from Ballistic Fabrication. Great workmanship but there is no clear install method besides welding and doing what I did.
Here it is with the modified setup, with a battery box and also a custom mount.
Upcoming mods and trips
I'm going to Sedona soon. Still debating if I should take the truck or not.
* clean entire interior (death valley and mammoth did a number on the interior).
* trans drain and fill x2.
* repaint skid plates. Mine are beat to hell after DV.
* replace dash bulbs which went out the same night as my DV fiasco.
* fix side window which became detached from the mechanical arm in Mammoth because I tried to roll it down while it was frozen over with ice.
That's a good start.
Btw on a side note Zootopia was a great movie. The finance and I really liked it.
:yo:
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BrianSD_42
New member
Drained and filled the transmission fluid. 4 quarts drained out. I'm not sure why so many postings indicated 2 quarts.
3.8 L, 4 quarts.
Anyways, filled her back up again. I plan to do one more cycle after I put some miles on it.
I used Toyota ATF from the dealer. It is ~$9 MSRP but my local stealership tried to charge me $13.
3.8 L, 4 quarts.
Anyways, filled her back up again. I plan to do one more cycle after I put some miles on it.
I used Toyota ATF from the dealer. It is ~$9 MSRP but my local stealership tried to charge me $13.
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solsnowbarger
New member
I'm doing this tomorrow as well. What kind of fluid are you going with? Im doing a series of drain and fills, after the first two or 3 I'll drop the pan and clean everything out.
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