Building a pavement princess - 2014 TE build thread

[TEQ.FZJ]

Well, this probably isn't gonna be an exciting build thread as this truck is strictly a daily driver..for now. So most of the mods will mostly for looks. I already have an offroad weekend toy, but I did want to get a platform that I could turn into a serious trail rig several years from now.

For starters, this is my '96 Land Cruiser which some of you may have seen. If you want to see more pics and details, head on over to my build thread here: Evolution of a Land Cruiser: My 80's build thread

And the reason why I'm here, our 2014 4Runner Trail in Mag Gray! We've had her for about two weeks now and I love everything about this truck. Options include KDSS, Sliding Cargo Deck, Rigid Running Boards and carpet mats.

The day she came home:

 

[TEQ.FZJ]

LEATHER INSTALL

Instead of getting a Trail Premium with fake leather and useless luxury add-ons we opted for a regular Trail and added a custom leather package. We paid $1,495 for the leather made by Roadwire. Really happy with how this came out. We chose a 'dark charcoal' color which goes with the exterior nicely.

 

[TEQ.FZJ]

DE-CHROMING

If there's one thing I hate about all car styling these days is chrome. I can't stand it. I hate it almost as much as wood grain. It has no place on a car and belongs on faucets. Chrome on cars was cool decades ago when everything was made of steel. Not anymore.

For the Toyota logos I used Rustoleum spray paint. I really like the way their metallics look so I chose a color called Black Night Metallic which was shockingly close to the factory Mag Gray color. Removed the two logos, sanded them down, painted and hit it with a few coats of clear. These came out really good!

For the rear 4Runner logo I simply cleaned it up and sprayed it with Plasti Dip. I would have loved to use the metallic black paint but the thought of removing each individual letter then taping it back on gave me a headache so I took the easy route. The black Plasti Dip blends in nicely with the black plastic bezel.

 

[TEQ.FZJ]

YELLOW "FOG LIGHTS"

I realize the driving lights on our 4Runners are not fog lights but that doesn't mean you can't make them look like fog lights! When it comes to painting lights and lenses nothing beats this JDM Vans spray paint. It's expensive, about $35 for a tiny can but it's well worth it. Gives a glossy glass-like finish and goes on super easy. And if you change your mind you can remove it with various solvents.

 

[TEQ.FZJ]

THE UGLY SILVER CHIN

The next thing I didn't like about this truck was the silver chin unique to the 2014 Trail versions. I wish it came body-colored like the SR5. I had to do something about it. I also took the chance to fix the vandalizing the dealership did when installing the front license plate mount. They really ruined the trim with the giant screws they used. I'll take my chances without a front plate. If I get a ticket, I'll mount it somewhere in the grill, but not back on the bumper.

Sanding down and filling in the holes

Ready for paint!

I used the same Rustoleum spray paint for the chin. Came out "okay", but I wasn't happy with the finish. It's hard to get smooth and even coverage with a rattle can. These pics are from yesterday. Today I painted it over again with Plasti Dip in black. Came out much better. I'll get updated pics later.

 

[Stifler]

nice! I want to dry hump your cruiser lol

 

[TEQ.FZJ]

HID INSTALL

Keyboard warriors look away NOW! This next post will cause a great amount of butthurt Yes, I put HIDs in my halogen projectors. People will go blind. Kittens will die. I didn't think of the children!!!! There will be blood.

First off, props to the guys at TRS (theretrofitsource). I've been running HID kits for years and this is my first time buying from TRS. I was very impressed. I remember buying my first HID kit back in 2002 when they were first hitting the market, paying almost $600 for a basic kit. Over the years prices came WAY down, but so did the quality. For a while I liked the Catz kits, then McCulloch but those all disappeared. I then turned to DDM, but got fed up with their crappy quality and drop-shipping garbage from China. If you tried to order 4300K bulbs, they looked like 8000k.

It was tough spending $170 on an HID kit when you could find them on fleaBay and flea markets for 1/4th of that. But as with everything else in life you get what you pay for. Aside from the great quality of the components what really impressed me was the color output. For the first time ever, the kelvin rating of the bulbs actually looked like it should. My 5000k bulbs from TRS were exactly what you'd expect; super crisp white light with a tiny hint of yellow. The last 5000k bulbs I ordered from China were almost pink. WTF.

Here's a rundown of what I ordered:

- H11 Morimoto Elite HID system
- Morimoto 5Five ballasts
- 5000k XB35 bulbs

Install was very easy. No other parts or special tools needed. I love that the lowbeam bulbs are easily accessible and not tucked away into the fender, thanks Toyota!

Undo the cap and remove your stock bulbs

Install the H11 HID bulbs and twist them into place with the little "rod" facing down

The only hiccup I had was that the H11 HID connector would not make contact with the factory H11 connector no matter how I installed it. So I used some small screwdrivers and popped out the terminals

And plugged them directly into the factory H11 connector (be sure to insulate the terminals so they won't contact each other. Use a test light to find out which plug is positive and which is the ground when the lights are on

Find a spot to mount your ballasts. These things are purtty!

Drill a small hole in the cap, fish the wires through and secure the rubber boot

As a reminder, here's the ugly yellow output of the factory H11 halogens. BLEH

And now the Morimoto 5000k HIDs. Look at that awesome white color!

Side-by-side comparison

And one final shot with my new yellow "fog lights" :eyebrows:

 

[TEQ.FZJ]

IN THE WORKS

And here's my short term plans of things I want to do:

- New wheels and 285/70 tires ordered. I'll do a teaser when those arrive
- Plan on doing a 2.5/1.5" lift
- Want to install N-Fab side steps
- Pasti Dip rear silver chin and roof rack
- Figure out a solution for a dog barrier net

 

[dekeman]

Looking good!

 

[TOY2G]

Love the yellow lenses man, I gotta try it...

So far I'm liking what you have going on, keep it up.

 

[ChrisTheSwede]

Nice! I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my silver "skid plate" in the front, thanks for sharing the blackened one. That's probably where I'll end up too, keep them pictures coming!

Meanwhile, I photoshopped this. Visually I like the military-inspired mix of grey, matte blacks and bright orange, but don't have the guts to make it a reality I think.

 

[jangoforhire]

Great pictures! Truck looks great so far.

 

[3wbdriver]

Nice! I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my silver "skid plate" in the front, thanks for sharing the blackened one. That's probably where I'll end up too, keep them pictures coming!

Meanwhile, I photoshopped this. Visually I like the military-inspired mix of grey, matte blacks and bright orange, but don't have the guts to make it a reality I think.

I double dog dare you!!! By the way, you'll want Coast Guard Orange. Wait! If I do it right on mine with the angled stripe I could have a land bound Coast Guard cutter!!!!! :artist:

But then Marvin would have to go!!!! NO!!!!!

 

[mdogg]

Other than the HID bulbs (and 50W ballasts!!!) in halogen housings not designed for those bulbs.... looks good.

Why go with the Vans spray over yellow films like Lamin-x or Xpel? I haven't heard many good things about the spray/tint (compared to the films) other than the "m@d JDm Tight y0!" argument in my prior Mazda days.

 

[TEQ.FZJ]

Why go with the Vans spray over yellow films like Lamin-x or Xpel? I haven't heard many good things about the spray/tint (compared to the films) other than the "m@d JDm Tight y0!" argument in my prior Mazda days.

Well a film cuts light output no matter what and you could always tell there's something over the light. I've used the Vans spray several times and it's held up great. I love that it still looks like crystal clear glass.

 

[LandCruiser]

Dig the 80 series.

You kind of lost me after that.

 

[c2one]

The chin looks good with just the Rustoleum. Leather looks clean too. Great job! Nice runner.

 

[4Running Daily]

Dig the 80 series.

You kind of lost me after that.

x2

I like which rig gets garage privileges haha

sub'd

 

[bimrunner]

Looking good man! Liking the fix for the chin! Makes it look a lot better. Leather also came out great.

 

[ChrisTheSwede]

I double dog dare you!!! By the way, you'll want Coast Guard Orange. Wait! If I do it right on mine with the angled stripe I could have a land bound Coast Guard cutter!!!!! :artist:

But then Marvin would have to go!!!! NO!!!!!

Please allow me to counter that double dare, sir:

(Sorry TEQ.FZJ for playing around in your thread, I'm done now)