Cobiker's 96 LTD build

[cobiker]

I've had my 4runner and have only now decided to document my latest passion with a proper build thread.

As I got her in December of 2010 - sagging and with a whacked out front suspension, but otherwise pretty ok for its age. 52000 miles only.

First mod was a new Alpine headunit and Morel Tempo separates for some proper music fidelity while driving.

Next was a change of ball joints, tie rods and steering rack bushings. Handling was dramatically improved, as were washboard bumps.

Then I put in a pair of OME 890s for the rear. Sagging rear fixed.
(The front already had Ironman springs and OME shocks.)
and Tires. Nitto Terragrapplers 265/75 R16. Superstoked with this upgrade. Very quiet and smooth rolling. I cant wait to take them to the trails.

Stance definitely improved. 1 inch of rake rear to front. I like it.

Then horror! I was involved in a three car accident. Unfortunately, I was the middle car. Right after the impact/s, I was afraid to go down and look at the damage. The rear impact was very strong that I ended up with some whiplash. Looking in the side mirror, the Toyota minivan that hit me from behind was gushing radiator water, flatted, and looked really bad. I was surprised that this was all I got.

The front:

I drove the minivan family to the hospital for a routine check up in my runner that night. Thankfully, no one was injured.

 

[cobiker]

Since I broke a headlight, I decided to get a pair of 99 clear headlights. It turns out OEMs are a total PITA to find in the Philippines. I had to order aftermarket from an ebay seller.

In the meantime, to be able to drive at night, which is a must, I put in some Hella driving lights. Using parts from (ahem) my daughter's bike training wheels, I was able to cobble up a pair of mounting brackets. It was meant as a temp fix, but I think I'll keep them on. :

They are both pencil beam lights. Much narrower than I expected. I wouldve liked a wider beam. But oh well.

Three weeks later, the Eagle Eye headlights and corners arrive. Once installed, they look great...

...Until the time comes to turn them on. The beam pattern is atrocious. Hotspots all over, and dark unlit spots in between. Completely useless. :ybrick:

The headlights need aiming too.

They are going off to be retrofit with HID projectors tomorrow. Hopefully, that will give me a usable beam of light.

Next up... rear shocks. When I replaced the rear coils, I discovered the stock rear shocks were different. One was around 2 inches longer. WTF?!!?

Then maybe sliders and underarmor. Thanks for looking. :hatsoff:

 

[awpsome]

yup i have the same lights, they were crap for light output compared to stock..
even with hids they didnt do much; very narrow.
then came projectors which made is 100000% better.

fix that rear shock.. HAHA

 

[fightman80]

Truck looks great all fixed up! Sorry to hear your headlights beam pattern suck....I'm super happy with mine!

 

[GottaBeTRD]

things are looking good man! so is there a local shop thats gonna do the retrofit for you? how much are they charging? but thats cool man, your gonna love projectors!

 

[cobiker]

things are looking good man! so is there a local shop thats gonna do the retrofit for you? how much are they charging? but thats cool man, your gonna love projectors!

HIDRetrofit.net is doing the conversion for me. Its a home business run by an electronics engineer and lighting designer. He charges around $450 all in, including adjustment, aiming, Philips HID bulbs, with a guarantee. I was initially planning to DIY the retrofit, but I thought with the trouble I had sourcing the headlights, I couldnt afford to mess up. For the price, I'd say its reasonable. Home - HIDRetrofit.Net

 

[GottaBeTRD]

thats cool you have that kind of shop though! the price may be high but at least you have a guarantee, some reliable bulbs and most likely not going to have anything go wrong there. nice! I can think tons of things i would have done differently now that i finished mine and i dont even want to think about taking them apart again lol

 

[cobiker]

Projectors....

My projector HIDs are in and running. Light output is sweeet! 1000% better than before. My installer also did a great job of aiming the lights so the low beam cutoff is just below people's heads. Excellent!

With this great headlight output, the hella pencil beams are now kinda useless. I think I will replace them with fogs instead.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

sweet, those look great! and your right there is nothing compared to the projector light output I wish i got to do more night driving so i could enjoy mine more lol!

 

[cobiker]

sweet, those look great! and your right there is nothing compared to the projector light output I wish i got to do more night driving so i could enjoy mine more lol!

Thanks Gotta BeTRD. The light output was really light years ahead, better than any I've experienced. Even better than the hid projectors on my Dad's Audi (which are slightly less bright). You're right... Everyday I'm looking forward to night driving. Haha!

 

[awpsome]

nice retrofit!
got any pics from a distance?

for $450 thats not to bad, but what projectors did they use? any idea?

 

[cobiker]

nice retrofit!
got any pics from a distance?

for $450 thats not to bad, but what projectors did they use? any idea?

They're FXR projectors with philips bulbs. I dont know what the shroud is called though. I'll take some night road pics soon.

 

[cobiker]

New shocks!

Old Man Emu Nitrochargers for the rear. :zoom:

To replace two different Tokicos. :shrug:

Surprisingly, and contrary to the horror stories on the forum about removing the old shocks, mine were a complete breeze to do.
1. Undo bottom bolt.
2. Slot in proper deep socket wrench on top. Twist the shock body to loosen with a pipe wrench.
3. Install new shock.

Both shocks took literally around 35 minutes to do, with an assistant. I noted that the nuts and shock bolts were not rusted badly. That could be why.

 

[Hepar]

Wow. Those pics of the light output makes me want to do that too. What did you end up doing on the rear? Just replace to stock?

Oh and is that you about to eat sh*t in your avatar?

 

[cobiker]

Wow. Those pics of the light output makes me want to do that too. What did you end up doing on the rear? Just replace to stock?

Oh and is that you about to eat sh*t in your avatar?

The biker in my avatar is not me...thankfully.

The taillights were not damaged and are still stock. I highly recommend the HID retrofit if you're not happy with the stock output. Pics to come.

 

[awpsome]

wow fxr and phillips thats actually not to bad for around 450..

 

[4runner_kid]

Watching this.

 

[cobiker]

Minor maintenance/repair stuff...

Having had enough of my key getting stuck in the ignition this past week, I opened up my shifter cover and took a look at what was causing the problem. It seems that the shifter wasnt "catching" the key lock switch properly when in Park.

Here it is in Reverse. The little black metal stud from the shifter lever should engage the white C-shaped plastic catch on the shift. With the switch down, the car thinks the shifter is not in park and will prevent release.

Here it is properly engaged in Park. Switch up- key releases.

Over time, the parts have developed looseness or wobble. My shifter cover was also missing one bolt out of three total. This allowed the shifter lever too much sideways movement, which eventually led to the stud not catching on the switch.

While at it, and although I had no real problems shifting, I also took out and checked the shift interlock switch. Seemed ok to me.

I snugged up a new bolt, tightened some screws and tried to push the metal stud further to the right. The key hasnt been stuck since then. Hopefully, this very minor procedure will solve this key stuck mystery, at least until I can think of a more permanent solution .

 

[fightman80]

Good work man! I had the same issue with my key getting stuck in my 95 Monte Carlo years ago. I ended up just replacing the ignition switch.......PITA!

 

[4runner_kid]

Having had enough of my key getting stuck in the ignition this past week, I opened up my shifter cover and took a look at what was causing the problem. It seems that the shifter wasnt "catching" the key lock switch properly when in Park.

Here it is in Reverse. The little black metal stud from the shifter lever should engage the white C-shaped plastic catch on the shift. With the switch down, the car thinks the shifter is not in park and will prevent release.

Here it is properly engaged in Park. Switch up- key releases.

Over time, the parts have developed looseness or wobble. My shifter cover was also missing one bolt out of three total. This allowed the shifter lever too much sideways movement, which eventually led to the stud not catching on the switch.

While at it, and although I had no real problems shifting, I also took out and checked the shift interlock switch. Seemed ok to me.

I snugged up a new bolt, tightened some screws and tried to push the metal stud further to the right. The key hasnt been stuck since then. Hopefully, this very minor procedure will solve this key stuck mystery, at least until I can think of a more permanent solution .

This is happening to the 97, i will have to check this out now.