Chronicles of Silver

[vm_boy]

Chronicles of Silver
A Build Thread

The Back Story
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a 1999 4Runner. For at least 13 years, I've been a Jeep guy. My first car was an '84 CJ-7 that wouldn't pass emissions. My second car an '83 CJ-7 that caught on fire while I was pumping gas! My third car was a brand new '05 Wrangler. Last summer, I got the crazy idea of selling the Wrangler and getting something slightly older/cheaper that had more storage capacity and had a nicer, quieter interior that my wife would be happy to ride in. I thought with the difference between the sale of the Jeep and whatever I replaced it with, I could put some toward a lift and other mods, and then save the rest. Now, I didn't just want something cheap and old. I wanted something unique - something with a rare feature that maybe the casual observer (seller) wouldn't realize. I originally looked at an '02-'04 Jeep Grand Cherokee "Overland" Edition. I found one in good condition, but I let it get away. I then opened my eyes to Toyota/Lexus. I looked at several 4Runners, Land Cruisers and LX's. I finally found a '99 4Runner with the locking rear differential just 6 miles from my house at a dealership. It had 223+K miles. I went to see it on Saturday and it was still being detailed. On Monday, I went back and did a final look-around and bought it for $4650 + TTL.

The Punchlist
Here are the issues I found with the 4Runner. None of them are dealbreakers...mainly just inconveniences.

- Driver's side fog light out - FIXED helpful link
- Passenger side parking light out - FIXED helpful link
- Key Fob didn't work (had to be reprogrammed) - FIXED helpful link
- Broken door jamb switch - FIXED helpful link
- Rear driver's side seat stuck - FIXED - Pulled really hard!
- Torn driver's side floor board and missing floor mat - IMPROVED - Husky Floor Liners
- Torn up driver's seat
- Climate Control buttons are fidgity at times, jumping a few degrees at a time (especially when it's cold).
- Lumbar support button isn't working
- Broken antenna (but still gets reception) - FIXED (Tacoma Whip)
- Oil leak from valve cover gasket - FIXED

Completed Upgrades/Mods
- ProClip Phone Mount
- CB Radio Install
- Radio Install
- Tacoma Whip Mod
- Sliders
- TYC Radiator and B&M SuperCooler 70268
- A/C Condenser & Transmission Drain/Fill

Preventative Maintenance
- Fuel Filter - 230,890 mi 9/13/14

Non-completed Upgrades/Mods (in no particular order)
- ~3" Suspension Lift w/ 285x75R16 Tires
- Front and Rear Bumpers
- "Blue" wire mod
- Fog Light mod
- LED Interior Lighting
- Heated seats

Offroad Trips
- 2014 Lone Star Toyota Jamboree - Gilmer, TX

As I think of more things, I'll come back and edit this list. I intend to provide references for each of the mods/upgrades/repairs so that future readers with similar issues and questions can easily find the help they need. If you have already done these mods/upgrades/repairs, please respond with any suggestions or other ideas that might be helpful.

 

[Hepar]

Welcome, but…

:worthless

Let's see it!

 

[vm_boy]

I was going to work on that. What do you recommend for posting images? Photobucket, Imgur, Flickr, or something else?

 

[PNW yota]

Welcome!

I'm a similar jeep converter as well with my first Toyota purchase being a 3rd gen 4runner last Oct. Prior to that all I've ever had has been Jeeps. 89 Comanche, 84 Cherokee Chief, 96 Grand Loredo, and my former pride and joy 98 5.9.

While I still miss my 5.9 as I had just about finished building her, the 4Runner has been a pretty pleasant transition.

Looking forward to seeing pics!

 

[kernel.panik]

That is one clean looking rig for 223K!

With that many miles, I would start with all the regular maintenance items to make sure throwing all that money into it, it will last you a good long while.

 

[vm_boy]

[MENTION=101164]PNW yota[/MENTION]
In my search, I found and test-drove a '98 5.9L GC. It was in great condition with only about 90k miles. I just couldn't accept 12 mpg as a DD or a roadtripper.

With that many miles, I would start with all the regular maintenance items to make sure throwing all that money into it, it will last you a good long while.

That's something else I intended to mention. All of the work done at a Toyota dealership is saved online for 8 years (I'm told). Knowing that proper maintenance would be extremely important for a vehicle with this kind of mileage, I looked up the maintenance history before I purchased and saw that the previous owners had ALL of their routine maintenance done at the dealership, especially the big ones like 60k, 90k, 120k...even 200k. So the timing belt and water pump about a year or two ago. Tires and brakes were replaced last year.

 

[PNW yota]

[MENTION=101164]PNW yota[/MENTION]
In my search, I found and test-drove a '98 5.9L GC. It was in great condition with only about 90k miles. I just couldn't accept 12 mpg as a DD or a roadtripper.

Yeah the best I ever managed was about 16.5 mpg all hwy, downhill, with a tailwind!

But the one I found was truly one of a kind, it had a full Rubicon conversion from a 2003 Wrangler. With front and rear D44's (with the lockers), the Rock-trac 4:1 transfer case, wheels+tires, and heavy duty drive lines. With 340 ft/lbs and the low gear range it could idle through a brick wall. Oh how I miss her...

Those pics are really clean looking though!

 

[vm_boy]

I sold my Wrangler on Thursday and on Friday, I received my tax refund. :bravo: I'm registered for the Lone Star Jamboree in May so hopefully I'll have a lot of fun stuff going on in the next couple of months. Last night I bought all of the stuff to install a CB. I also ordered the B&M 70268 SuperCooler. That should all be in by next weekend. In the next couple of weeks, I will hopefully be purchasing stuff to replace the stock radio, sliders, and who knows what else. I'm planning on spending about $2000 in upgrading/repairing stuff...maybe some bumpers, lift, tires? If you have any recommendations, feel free to let me know.

Speaking of recommendations, while I'm installing the SuperCooler, should I replace/upgrade my radiator while I'm at it? If so, which radiator would you recommend?

Also, as far as lifts/tires go, I want to eventually run 285x75R16's with about 3" of lift. I either want the Sonoran Steel 1.2, Toytec Ultimate, or Toytec BOSS (not sure of the difference between the Ultimate and BOSS). Would I need to get anything else to run the 285/75s - wheel spacers, 1" body lift, etc? And which of those lifts would you recommend? Also, what do you do with the spare 285/75? Would that require a tire carrier rear bumper?

 

[audiness]

wow that thing is CLEAN

 

[vm_boy]

ProClip Mount and Husky Floor Mats

I'm finally beginning to get a lot of the stuff I ordered last week. The first item is the ProClip mount for my phone. I have a Nexus 4 with a Rinke Fusion case. I ended up going with the "medium adjustable" mount and it seems to work well. Ideally it will continue to work with whatever phone I use int he future. It was a bit tricky putting it all together. There were times when I needed a 4th hand. Now that it's all installed, it seems to work pretty well. I haven't taken it offroad or anything, but hopefully it will hold up. If you would like additional pictures, just let me know. This should at least give you a good idea of what it looks like.



I also bought some Husky floor mats. I was missing the driver's side mat and there were holes in the carpet. I went with Husky because they match the contours of the car (just like WeatherTech), they seem durable, and they're a bit cheaper than WeatherTech. I also like the diamond plate look - it's a bit more aggressive than strategically placed swirly lines. The rear seat mats also cover the hump. They also come with a lifetime (non-transferrable) warranty in case they ever tear or wear out. This is my first day to have them installed so I can't testify to their ability to hold up to water, dirt, mud, sand, grease, etc. but I'll keep you posted. The fit and color looks good, and the rubber feels pretty sturdy. These pictures should give you a good idea of how they look installed.

Driver Side


Passenger Side


Rear Driver Side


Rear Passenger Side


Cargo Area


Next weekend, I'm hoping to install my CB and a new radio head unit, so be on the lookout for those updates in a couple of weeks.

 

[vm_boy]

CB Radio Install

About a month and a half ago, I installed my CB, CB antenna, ran the CB cable, and installed a new radio. In the process, the wires for the driver's door speaker got disconnected. I also didn't have very good antenna reception because the antenna was broken. So I decided to go ahead and do the Tacoma Whip replacement and while I was back there, I would fix the speaker wire connection and add the two-antenna merging stuff. Now, several weeks later, I finally have some time to make the write-up for everything.

CB Radio

Here are all of the parts I used for the CB portion of this write-up. (Prices include tax, shipping, etc)
Cobra 19 DX IV - $49.23 (Amazon)
FireStik SS-204A Vertical door jamb mount - $21.04 (Amazon)
18' RG-58A/U Coaxial Cable w/ PL259 Connectors - $7.49 (Amazon)
Firestik Firefly Antenna 4' Black - $15.99 (Amazon)
Firestik SS-3H Heavy Duty Antenna Spring - $10.98 (Amazon)
PL-259 Inline Right-Angle Adapter - $6.48 (Radio Shack)

I began by running the coax cable behind the paneling along the driver's side. There are several snaps that can easily be pryed up...maybe a few screws along the way. Some bundled wires run from the front to the back, so I just ran the coax alongside. I started by routing the coax out of the tail light wiring opening (just under the rubber) and left just enough to connect to the antenna mount. I ran the rest forward and had just enough to reach the back of the CB to have enough slack to play with.






The pictures of the mount are pretty self-explanatory. I have a pretty short garage, and also with the rear door, I tried to angle it out and back. Part of the problem with this mount is that the adjusting screws use allen head screws that face the tail light and there isn't enough room to fit an allen-headed driver back there, so you have to tighten it up before you screw the bracket into the jamb.




To mount the CB, I pulled off the dash cover (start by the emergency brake in the console and work your way forward). To get the leather around the Multi-mode Transfer Case handle, you just press down and out and eventually it will POP and free the rest of the plastic. After removing all of the wiring connected to the dash cover, I pulled it all out and removed the ash tray. You then have to cut part of the backside in order for the back of the CB to fit. In hindsight, I did a poor job. What you really want to do is just cut straight across where the opening already exists...don't go down at all. A Dremel would be a great tool to use here, but I don't have one, so I just used some bolt cutters. I then connected the provided mounting bracket to the CB and zip tied it to the top part of ash tray mounting location.








To wire it up, I connected a spade-style connector to the black wire and stuck it under the grounding bolt that's back behind the fuse box and several other connector boxes. For the red wire, I just wedged it in with the ACC fuse in the cabin fuse box.

 

[vm_boy]

Radio Install

Kenwood KDC-BT755HD - $147.75 (Amazon)
Metra 88-00-8000 Radio Pocket - $9.95 (Amazon)
Metra 70-1761 Radio Wiring Harness - $4.95 (Amazon)
Metra 40-GM10 (small to big antenna adapter) - $4.32 (Best Buy)
Metra 40-UV43 (Y-adapter) - $2.62 (Staples...I know, right?!!?)
Posi-Products Connector Kit for Car Stereos (16 Pieces) #669PP500 - $6.99 (Crutchfield)
[MENTION=74598]hrt4me[/MENTION] came over and helped wire up the radio to the harness. The Posi-Products are sort of like wire nuts, but a little more secure, and maybe smaller. I went that route because I didn't own a heat gun and thought the soldering and all that mess would be more hassle. The connectors would be better if they were in-line, but that's OK.




After removing the plastic dash pieces (see above), we removed the 4 screws holding the radio in place. We also removed the small amp that's mounted with a couple of screws. Next, remove the mounting bracket from the radio unit, then attach to the new radio and pocket.



The original radio has two antenna inputs, but most new radios only have one, so you have to use the antenna adapters to utilize both, otherwise, you will only be able to use the front antenna (the rear window antenna has a smaller plug). Then to install the new radio, just reverse the process.

Before:


After:

 

[vm_boy]

Tacoma Whip Mod

Antenna Assembly #86300-35090
Antenna Mast #86309-0C020
Both from Camelback - $80.22 shipped

There are several write-ups around for this mod so I'll keep this quick and dirty. You have to remove some of the retainer clips and screws/bolts to get back behind the wheel well. I'm not sure of a good way of removing the retainer clips. I just pulled the rubber/plastic wheel well protector around/over/through them. You will also need to remove the front piece of the running board.If you can fit a hand back there, you can squeeze the corners with some pliers and push them out, but even that is difficult. You might be able to just drill through them and buy some replacements from the dealership.





The antenna motor is mounted with a bolt/nut that must be reused with the new assembly. Disconnect the wire. The leader wire from the motor is mounted in the well with a retainer clip thing. You can just pull, or try to find the backside of it in the engine compartment and squeeze it with some pliers (again, not easy).



Once that's free, you have to pull the antenna cable out of the cabin area. There are 4 spots where the cable snaps in behind the dash. To access those spots, a significant portion of the glove box must be removed. You will also need to remove some of the interior molding around the door to get to the spot where the cable comes into the cabin. Once everything is accessible, you can just pull the cable out. To replace, just do the opposite. The antenna mast just screws on with the provided tool. It's pretty simple. Just plan on scraping your hands and arms up.




After it's all said and done

 

[hrt4me]

Looks good!

What's next, the sliders? I'm still waiting on Cody to fab mine...

 

[vm_boy]

Looks good!

What's next, the sliders? I'm still waiting on Cody to fab mine...

I actually went down to Joshua today and we started fabing the sliders. I was hoping to have them finished today, but it didn't happen. He's going to keep the 4Runner for the next few days and finish them off. I'm really excited. They look pretty awesome and they'll be extremely durable. I'll post up pictures of the process and the final result as soon as I get it back.

Here's a sample:

 

[toyoKühl]

damn dude :zoom:

my antenna is junk so just bookmarked you

 

[hrt4me]

Cody was supposed to have my own sliders done months ago, but he kept telling me he was waiting on a tube bender...

 

[vm_boy]

He just got the bender a couple of weeks ago. I needed mine for Gilmer next week. He practiced with mine and learned from some mistakes. He'll have all of the kinks worked out for when he works on yours. Part of the issue is that he doesn't have a vehicle to size things against. If you could take it to him and leave it for a few days (or help him like I did) I bet he'll get them done pretty soon.

 

[hrt4me]

He just got the bender a couple of weeks ago. I needed mine for Gilmer next week. He practiced with mine and learned from some mistakes. He'll have all of the kinks worked out for when he works on yours. Part of the issue is that he doesn't have a vehicle to size things against. If you could take it to him and leave it for a few days (or help him like I did) I bet he'll get them done pretty soon.

I've been to Cody's shop several times, and Cody also took plenty of measurements of mine at various occasions...

earlier today Cody indicated he did indeed learn some things (which did not work) from your Limited, but those should not be issues on my own SR5...

looking forward to seeing how yours turn out!

 

[vm_boy]

Rock Sliders

The sliders are finally finished, just in time for Gilmer this weekend. They are custom-made by Cody Young at Garrett Overland, located just south of Ft. Worth. If you need any help at all (suspensions, engine, armor, etc.) he can do it. You can contact him at [email protected].

For the paint, we used Rustoleum Hammered Silver and I think it matches the cladding perfectly. It almost makes it look like they came installed from the factory. For the undercarriage portions, we used Rustoleum (rattle can) Truck Bed Coating. We would have used the Undercoating, but Home Depot was out.

So now for the fun part. Pictures!